


Hold Me While You Wait // Scorbus

by yendts



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Crushing, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Scorbus, Slow Burn, Supportive James, hogwarts 5th year, loving ginny, not tcc compliant, some drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-07-25 17:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20029531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yendts/pseuds/yendts
Summary: Albus isn’t too fond of Scorpius’ girlfriend and he quickly realizes he’s just jealous.





	1. Diagon Alley

"So, Diagon Alley today?" Ginny asked, "Being a prefect means you get new robes," she ruffled Albus' hair as she passed by the table.

"Mum, I got Cap'n! Can't I ge' new ro'es?" James protested through a mouthful of sausage.

"Chew before you speak," Ginny scolded, "and you got new robes last year, you'll survive."

"Are we actually going to Diagon Alley? 'Cause I told Scorpius that I'd owl him so he could meet us there," Albus announced, stealing food off of Lily's plate as she looked away.

Ginny gave Harry a look as if to see if he approved, "Yeah, no one has any other plans, do they?"

"Mariana wanted to have a sleepover tonight, but that's obviously later," Lily waved her hand, then noticed Albus' arm reaching for her plate and slapped his arm away.

"Alright, then I'm going to go owl Scorpius," Albus stood up, reaching over Lily and snatching her bread roll and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Lily swatted him, tipping on her chair as she reached behind her for him.

He just laughed and ran up stairs.

"Be ready in an hour!" Ginny called up after him.

"Hey, why do you always get those funny looks when he mentions Scorpius?" James wondered.

"Us?" Harry asked. James nodded. "Uh, well his father and I have a... a complicated history," Harry tried.

"From the war?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded then stood up, "I'm going to get more tea. Anyone else want some?"

••••

Albus glanced around, bouncing on his feet slightly, "He said he'd be... oh! There he is!" Albus ran off from the group after spotting his blonde best friend.

He greeted Astoria quickly before engaging in their secret handshake, laughing with each other. 

"So? How does it feel to be Mr. Prefect?" Scorpius asked.

"Quite good knowing I can throw you in detention," Albus replied teasingly

"You'd never!" Scorpius chuckled

"Don't underestimate me," Albus playfully shoved his friend.

"Mum promised me a new broom," Scorpius excitedly changed the topic as he spotted a broom in the window of a nearby shop.

"Awh lucky, mum only promised new robes," Albus pouted as his own family caught up, "Hey mum, he gets a new broom for becoming a prefect, can I?" Albus asked, turning to his mum and dad.

"If he gets a new broom, can I?" James asked suddenly.

"No! No one's getting a new broom," Ginny shook her head.

"But mum-!"

"Mum, please!"

"No, now stop your whining boys," Ginny patted Albus' shoulder and the six of them kept walking.

"I'll let you take a spin on it first," Scorpius said to Albus who perked up, "And you too, if you'd like," he said to James.

"Awh, really?" James asked excitedly, "What model are you getting?"

"Nova 2000," Scorpius smirked.

Lily's jaw dropped, "That's an even better model than my broom!"

"Mate, that's sick!" James cheered.

"So, Scorpius, how's the girlfriend?" Ginny asked casually. She tried her hardest to keep up with her children's friends and all their drama, it was easier with Albus than with Lily for sure. At the mention of his girlfriend, Albus turned silent and looked down at his feet.

"Oh, great!" Scorpius smiled not noticing Albus' response, "We haven't seen each other a whole lot this summer because she's been on holiday in Spain, and I've been in France, but tomorrow she's coming over."

"Well that's good to hear," Ginny smiled, fondly ruffling his hair like she would to one of her own sons.

"Hey, by the way have you talked to Iza?" Scorpius asked Albus.

"Er no, why? Did she say something about me?" he asked.

"Oh no, it's just Adylinn says she's been upset with her whole parents divorcing stuff and she was wondering if you had comforted her or anything," Scorpius shrugged.

"Should I have?" Albus asked, suddenly feeling bad.

"Well, no. You're not dating right? Adylinn just said it'd make her feel better," Scorpius replied.

"Ah, so Adylinn said," Albus huffed.

Scorpius sighed, "Sorry. I know you have a problem with her-"

"No, no, it's cool," Albus waved him off and the topic was dropped. 

Later while they were in Flourish and Blotts, James found Albus alone in an isle, "Hey, can I ask you something?" James leaned against the shelf as Albus pulled out a book.

"Yeah," Albus flipped through a couple pages.

"Why do you have a problem with Scorpius' girlfriend?" James glanced at his brother.

Albus shrugged, "'Cause she acts like she's entitled to Scorpius, and she sometimes hogs him and doesn't think I'm a valid person in his life," he answered, not looking up from the book.

James sighed, "I remember when Pete got a girlfriend and I felt the same, she got over it once she realized that I'm his best friend and deserve his time too. How long have they been dating?"

"Five months," Albus replied, glancing at his brother.

James frowned, "Didn't take Karina that long..." he muttered.

Albus gave him an 'I know right?' look and put the book back.

"There you are," Scorpius sighed dramatically, walking around the shelf, "hey I found this book," he held it up for Albus to see, "it's Viktor Crum's official biography, and you know how much I love him," he laughed.

"Aunt Hermione knows him," James commented.

"Wait, really? Why have you never said?" Scorpius asked Albus.

Albus shrugged, "I don't know, never was important I guess."

"Oh, well, Ginny said she's ready to go if you are," Scorpius gave them a half smile and turned away.

"Don't act hostile to him," James furrowed his eyebrows at Albus.

"I'm not trying to, I'm just upset," Albus turned to follow Scorpius.

"It's not him ignoring you! Remember that!" James whisper-shouted after hm.

"Stop being nice to me! I'm getting concerned!" Albus replied, still following after Scorpius.

••••

"First night back and you two are in here alone?" Alfie Shastri chuckled as he walked into the boys' dormitory.

"What? Can't friends catch up?" Scorpius teased.

"It's just sad," Alfie laughed.

"Oi, shut it, we just didn't want to go to the party because we have class tomorrow," Albus sassed back.

"He's Mr. Prefect now, so he has to follow rules and other boring stuff," Scorpius sighed dramatically.

"Oh right, how lame," Alfie laughed, sitting down on Albus' bed with them.

"Very. Watch out, he might throw you in detention," Scorpius playfully hit his shoulder, "He's already threatened me twice."

Albus smirked, "Don't test me," he threatened before poking Scorpius' side to get him to flinch, making Scorpius swat at him. That was his biggest weakness, the soft area just above his hips were super sensitive and Al loved to tase him to get a rise out of him. 

Albus laughed at his reaction and fell back on his bed. "Oh you think it's funny, do you?" Scorpius raised a challenging eyebrow at his friend.

"It's hilarious," Albus smirked, bringing his hands behind his head.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out childishly, and before he could say anything back Alfie spoke up, coughing awkwardly before saying, "Well I'm going to head back out to the party, sure you don't want to join?"

"Yeah, we're good. Thanks though," Scorpius nodded. Alfie left and Scorpius turned back to Albus.

"So why aren't you with Adylinn right now?" Albus asked after the door had shut.

Scorpius shrugged, "Didn't feel like it, wanted to hang with you."

"Thanks," Albus laughed slightly, "But you don't have to."

"Yeah, true, but I want to," Scorpius gave him a questioning look. Albus sighed and looked away, "What?" Scorpius asked.

"It's just, I honestly feel like she wants to take you away from me sometimes," Albus admitted.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," Scorpius leaned over his friend.

"You kind of already are..." Albus mumbled.

Scorpius sighed again, noticing Al's eyes flicker to his lips. His stomach flipped at that but he ignored it, because he shouldn't want to lean down and kiss Albus right now, that would be weird. The two made eye contact again and before Scorpius could give into his temptations, Albus quickly sat back up.

"I don't mean to, so please tell me when I am," Scorpius sat back, pushing the almost-kiss out of his mind.


	2. How Do You Know

Albus was sat in a booth at Three Broomsticks with Scorpius to his right and Iza across from him. Adylinn and Scorpius had convinced them to come along on their date. They both knew the couple was subtly trying to set them up, but at this point neither were interested in being more than friends. 

Iza and Albus were making faces at one another as Adylinn and Scorpius flirted and baby-talked each other completely oblivious to the outside world and the fact that Al and Iza were making fun of them. 

The waitress eventually came over to take their order, but the couple on the inside of the booth didn't even notice.

"I believe we're just doing butterbeers all around," Iza spoke.

"And we'll do a large order of chips too," Albus added.

Iza gave him a quizzical look as the waitress left, "I thought you didn't eat chips?"

"Oh I don't, but Scorp always orders them."

"That's sweet," she commented before quickly changing the topic, "Can you believe the homework that Professor Longbottom assigned us? I mean I know he's your uncle, or whatever, but you have to admit, writing a four page essay about self-fertilizing shrubs is quite ridiculous. I don't think I could write a four page essay on anything if I wanted to!"

Albus chuckled in agreement, "He's actually my godfather, but you're right, it is a bit much."

"Oh, sorry, you just have such a large family that I just assume everyone is related to you," she joked.

"That's fair," Al laughed just as their drinks were placed in front of them. The couple barely looked away from each other to accept their drinks, and Scorpius didn't even blink when the chips were pushed in front of him.

Iza looked a bit shocked when Al glanced back over to her, "He didn't even say thank you," she whispered.

Albus rolled his eyes, obliviously annoyed, "When Adylinn's around it's like I don't exist," he sighed.

"I feel that," Iza replied, taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"So how are your parents?" Albus asked hesitantly, remembering that Scorpius told him that they were divorcing.

Iza shrugged, "I've been trying to ignore the whole thing since I've been here, but I've got no idea what Christmas will be like with my dad moved out. I might just stay here if I'm honest-"

She was suddenly cut off by Adylinn giggling loudly. Al and Iza rolled their eyes.

"Wait, I have an idea," Iza spoke, a sly smirk crossing her face. Before Al could ask what it was, she started giggling obnoxiously and fake baby-talking Albus. "Oh Alby, you're so sweet and cute. I wanna run my fingers through your hair."

Albus put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laugh. He then decided to join in, "Oh Iza-biza you make my heart so fluttery," he giggled loudly and they both continued to make fun of the couple.

Scorpius and Adylinn soon realized what they were doing and fell silent to glare at their friends.

"Excuse me," Scorpius coughed, making them stop. Iza and Albus laughed with each other then finally turned towards their friends. "Rude much?" Scorpius spoke, looking directly at Albus.

Al couldn't wipe the mischievous grin off his face, "What?" he asked dumbly, "That's what you two sound like."

Scorpius furrowed his brow, "If you don't like it you can leave."

"It's not our faults that you're just jealous," Adylinn added, looking at Albus.

Both Iza and Albus burst out laughing, "Neither of us are jealous," Iza clarified, "we just wish you'd maybe acknowledge your best friends every once in a while."

"We thought you guys just wanted to chat..." Adylinn tried lamely.

Albus rolled his eyes for the millionth time that day, but before he could say anything in response, Iza stood up, "You know, maybe we will leave. Come on Albus," she held out her hand for him to take, "let's go check out Zonko's."

He took her hand and got up from his seat. They then linked arms and left Three Broomsticks laughing and snickering to themselves. Inside though, Albus felt quite hurt at Scorpius' behavior. It wasn't typical of him to be this one-track minded.

••••

That night after the 'double date' at Three Broomsticks, Scorpius found Albus shut up in his bed reading a book with the green silky curtains drawn shut.

"Knock knock knock, Albus. Anyone home?" Scorpius asked playfully. Albus stayed quiet. "Hello?" Scorpius pulled back the curtain to see Albus glaring at him.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Woah," Scorpius spoke defensively, "I just want to know what my best friend is up to." Albus didn't reply again. Scorpius sighed and positioned himself on the bed at Albus' legs, "Alright, I know you're mad at me for earlier and I'm sorry."

Albus frowned, "You didn't even say thank you for the chips."

It was Scorpius' turn to frown now, "I'm sorry. Thank you. You know me so well."

Albus merely huffed and turned back to his book.

Scorpius was silent for a moment, thinking of a way to cheer up Albus and get back on his good side. "Hey, do you want to go for a ride on my Nova? We could go for a spin on the pitch if you'd like," he suggested hopefully.

Albus perked up and put his book to the side, "Will you really let me ride it?"

"Of course! I promised a while ago, didn't I?" Scorpius smiled at seeing his friends mood change.

On the Quidditch pitch the two boys switched brooms so Al could test the new Nova model.

"Woah, this is wicked smooth," Albus turned the broom over in his hands, admiring the finely carved and stained wood. None of the twigs that made up the tail were out of place and the silver engraving of the model shimmered nicely. He looked at Scorpius one last time for reassurance that he could fly it, the blonde just smiled and nodded.

Albus' grin grew as he mounted it and took off soaring into the air. He laughed and cheered in excitement. "This is bloody amazing Scorp! Who knew you could go fast!"

He slowed to a stop near Scorpius who had mounted Albus' broom and was hovering about fifteen feet in the air.

"I know right? Isn't it great? My dad said he wished he would've had something like this when he was at school," Scorpius beamed at his now happy friend.

This was their happy place together. They became friends on this pitch in first year and have played on the Slytherin Quidditch team since second.

"I can't wait to kick James' arse this year," Al laughed as he did a quick loop around his friend. 

"Also," Albus sighed, his voice falling softer and more serious as he slowed to a hovering stop next to Scorpius. "I'm sorry for being so grumpy about you and Adylinn. I guess I'm just not used to having to share your attention and time. I'm going to try and work on it for you."

Scorpius gave him another beaming smile, "Really? Al, that means so much."

Albus merely nodded. The two swooped around on the brooms for a quick minute before Scorpius spoke up again.

"You know, Adylinn means a lot to me, and I want more than anything for you two to get along."

"I feel like we get along fine," Albus interjected. 

"I know, I just feel like there may be some hard feelings there... You two are the most important people in my life. I really love her and I want you to love her too," Scorpius cringed suddenly as he realized what that sounded like. "I mean, not like I love her of course, just like... yeah you get it right?"

Albus chuckled at Scorpius' flushed cheeks and slight stammering, "Yeah, I get it."

The boys were silent for a moment, the only sound being the wind in the trees of the Forbidden Forest and the nighttime chatter of birds and bugs. The sun was beginning to set over the lake and Albus couldn't take his eyes off of the boy in front of him. The lighting made his eyes shimmer and his skin turn a beautiful shade of pink. His white blonde hair was softly dancing in the wind and Albus wanted to run his hands through it but refrained. 

"Can I ask you something?" Scorpius suddenly asked, taking Albus from his trance.

"Shoot," Albus replied, unsure why he felt the need to even ask.

Scorpius hesitated a moment, "How do you know if you're ready to... you know..." he trailed off and let his eyes wander from Al down to the ground that was twenty feet away. 

"Ready for what?" Albus asked innocently.

"Readytohavesex," he spoke quickly, his cheekc heating up fast in embarrassment.

Albus spluttered, not expecting to be asked that, "Merlin Scorp! How would I know?" he replied, watching his friend anxiously hover in a circle, his mind clearly deep in thought.

"I mean, I would assume you would just feel it. Like, only you know your body, and if you feel comfortable and safe with that person then I don't see the problem," he eyed his friend, a bit of longing tugging at his heart but he couldn't pin on why he felt that. "Do you feel comfortable, safe, and loved with Adylinn?" he asked softly.

"Yes, very," the blond boy answered, "Safer than with anyone actually."

Albus felt his heart tighten in his chest at his words. "Well that's great then," Al tried to smile but it faltered. The image of Scorpius and Adylinn burned into his mind and his stomach turned at the thought. He hesitated on what he was going to say next. "Are you ready to share that part of yourself and your body with her? Sex is something you can't undo," he continued, trying to push the thoughts of disgust at picturing the couple out of his mind.

Sex didn't bother him, so why was he feeling sick? It was probably because Scorpius was his best friend and the last place Al wanted to see him is in a compromising position with Adylinn.

"I think I am," Scorpius replied confidently. "We've done loads of stuff before."

"Stuff? Like what?" Al mentally face palmed, why'd he ask that? He didn't need more mental images of Scorpius and Adylinn getting it on.

In the dim light Al could barely see the blush on Scorpius' cheeks move down his neck as he prepared to answer his question.

"Nothing too crazy... Just like, hand jobs and fingering and stuff... Lots of making out of course, but I think we're both ready to take it to the next level, you know?" he finally replied.

"Have you talked about it with her?" Albus questioned.

"A little bit," Scorpius admitted.

"It sounds to me that you really like and care about her, and you both seem ready and mature about it. So maybe after another little conversation with her, I don't see why it couldn't happen," Al shrugged, letting his broom - Scorpius' rather - take him to the ground. 

"Yeah, you're right," Scorpius sighed as he followed Albus. "Thanks Al, you always know what to say."

Albus chuckled, "Not really, but thanks."

They were a couple feet above the ground when Scorpius spoke again, "Hey wait, wanna do one more race 'round the pitch?" he challenged.

Albus laughed, "You know I'm gonna wreck you on this thing, right?"

Scorpius laughed in reply, both of them squaring up to take off. He shouted 'GO!' and they booth took off whooping and laughing around the field. Albus obviously won.


	3. Locker Room

It had been about two weeks since Scorpius asked Albus about being ready for sex on the Quidditch pitch, when Scorpius stumbled into the boys' dormitory five minutes past curfew.

Only a few boys were getting ready for bed, most were still just chilling and studying in the common room.

Albus was sat up in bed reading a book. Scorpius made his way over and plopped himself down next to Al's extended legs. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his hair was tousled in many different directions which was not typical.

"Guess what Al," Scorpius spoke in a hushed tone so none of the others would hear.

"What?" Albus asked dumbly. He knew Scorpius went on a date, but apparently couldn't put the pieces together. 

"Adylinn and I finally did it," he whispered excitedly.

"What - Woah - Okay..." Albus wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond. "How - how was it...?"

"It was kinda really good actually," Scorpius admitted, "She told me exactly what she wanted and she seemed to enjoy it too. I was super nervous but..."

Albus' mind trailed off as Scorpius continued to describe his first time in a little more detail than was necessary for Albus. As his ears tuned out Scorpius, his eyes trained on his face, noticing how his lips curled up in a hesitant smile and his eyes squinted when his smile grew. His heart nearly stopped as he watched Scorpius casually lick his dry lips then continue talking. Al was about to shake himself out of his trance when he heard his friend say, "-and then she put her hand on me and I nearly finished right then but I held out. Then she - Al? Al are you even listening to me?" he snapped a finger in front of Albus' face.

Albus jerked slightly, reentering the moment, "Yeah, yeah... Totally..." he replied lamely. "What about Adylinn?"

••••

The year went on and Scorpius got better at splitting his time with Albus and Adylinn.

Despite this, Albus' feelings towards his best friend's relationship only got saltier.

It was early November and the chilly air and bright colors of the leaves put Albus in a good mood as he walked out onto the Quidditch pitch with the Slytherin team. He felt pumped and determined to beat Gryffindor in this match.

"You look quite chipper," Scorpius nudged their shoulders together.

"I just have a really good feeling about this match," Albus admitted.

Scorpius smiled, "Hell yeah, we're gonna wreck those lions," he ruffled Al's hair before being turned away by their Team Captain, Avery Berrow, calling. Albus felt his stomach flutter at Scorpius' fingers running through his hair.

He couldn't really focus on Berrow's voice and he imagined what it'd be like for Scorpius to continuously run his fingers through Al's unruly hair, and maybe even what they'd feel like trailing down his back and sides... Albus quickly shook his head and cringed the thought out of his head as he heard the ref's whistle blow, signaling the teams to come to center field.

Albus stood across from his brother who started making faces at him. Albus rolled his eyes and nudged Scorpius who noticed his taunting and returned the faces back to James. Albus snickered into his hand as the two humored each other. 

After the general rules were explained another whistle blew and everyone moved to mount their brooms. 

"That kid is going down," Scorpius said to Albus, referring to James. They both laughed and mounted their own brooms.

Albus glanced over at his friend to make a comment about where he should throw the Quaffle at James, but Scorpius was turned away, waving at someone high in the stands. Albus glanced over to the Slytherin section to see Adylinn waving a flag at her boyfriend and jumping slightly. Iza was stood next to her, a green and silver scarf wrapped around her neck. She waved at Albus once she noticed his attention on them. He gave a small wave back and quickly turned his attention back to the ref who was about to throw the Quaffle in the air to start the game.

The whistle screeched in his ear and he didn't have time to worry about why seeing Scorpius and Adylinn waving at each other upset him. He took off on his broom as fast as he could, ready to get Slytherin a win.

••••

The match was on the longer side, lasted an hour an a half, Scorpius finally caught the Golden Snitch and the second he grasped the small ball and was headed towards the ground, Albus was zooming after him. The dark haired boy nearly launched himself off his broom that was still in the air in order to squeeze Scorpius into a hug.

Scorpius chuckled and squeezed him back, suddenly the whole team was on top of them too, cheering and shouting, and messing up Scorpius' hair.

Albus was pressed impossibly close to Scorpius, from the other teammates pushing in on them, and for a moment his cheek brushed Scorpius' and they held intense eye contact. A tiny voice in the back of Al's mind said, 'Kiss him!' Albus faltered at the thought but before he could even react, Scorpius was pulled away and Albus stumbled out of the mob of Slytherins. 

Albus glanced back to see that Scorpius had also escaped, the people fizzling away to go get changed. Scorpius already had his arms wrapped tightly around Adylinn's waist as he hoisted her off her feet in order to kiss her strongly. She held his face and giggled into his mouth. He spun her around and kissed her one more time before setting her back down.

Albus was frozen to his spot in the dirt, his heart felt like it was in his throat and he couldn't take his eyes away from the scene.

He suddenly felt a clap on his shoulder and he was taken from his daze.

"Nice game, mate," James playfully ruffled Al's windswept hair and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You took that Bludger I threw like a champ. You really aren't as big of a wuss as I thought," he teased, using his free hand to pinch his brothers cheek.

"Hey!" Albus protested the pinching, "I've never been a wuss. I think you're thinking of my brother, James Sirius, do you know him?" Al smirked teasingly, letting his arm slip behind James as they headed towards the changing rooms.

"Oi, shut it," James chuckled. "So how's Scorp and the bird?" He asked casually.

Albus' smile dropped and he shrugged, "They've been alright. Scorpius' been spending time with me but they're just so gross and lovey on each other all the time. I can't stand it," he admitted.

"They're still probably in their honeymoon phase," James said, "It'll wear off eventually, I promise," he assured.

"Hopefully soon," Albus groaned and James ruffled his hair one last time before splitting says.

"Let me know if it brings you any more trouble - you know I'm always a few floors and moving staircases away," James told him and winked before slipping into the Gryffindor boys changing rooms.

Albus sighed as he pushed his changing room door open. The boys were all talking loudly and the showers were running, but Albus kept to himself and found his locker which was right next to Scorpius'.

"Mate, that dive you did was wicked!" Harris Ledbury, a Beater, was talking to Scorpius.

"Really?" Scorpius chuckled, "I was scared shitless," he admitted. Albus watched him as he grabbed the bottom hem of his sweaty t-shirt and as if it was in slow motion, he lifted it up off over his head. 

Albus had seen Scorpius shirtless countless times, but this was the first time that he'd actually noticed Scorpius while shirtless. He was toned, his chest was defined, but not bulky. His pale skin shimmered with sweat and Albus couldn't stop his wandering eyes from moving down. Scorpius' Quidditch pants hung low and untied on his hips, his abdominal muscles leading to a V shape at his crotch. Albus wanted so badly to trail his hands down Scorpius' front, maybe squeeze his hips and pull their bodies flush. Maybe even kiss that shimmery skin.

"Merlin, Al! That Bludger you took was a beast!" Harris' voiced caused him to tear his eyes away from a changing Scorpius.

Albus chuckled, "I know right? My brother was to blame for that."

"It nearly knocked you off your broom!" Scorpius commented. Albus made eye contact with his best friend and suddenly became aware of the tightness in his pants. He quickly turned away before Scorpius could see the color leave his face. He quickly gathered up his clean clothes and a fresh towel before bee-lining it to the showers. He avoided eye contact with all the shirtless - and pantless - guys and locked himself in a cubicle.

He quickly stripped out of his sweaty Quidditch robes and turned the cool water on. He cringed and internally groaned at the sight of his hard-on. He stood under the stream of water with his eyes squeezed shut, willing it to go away. But whenever he closed his eyes, Scorpius' bare chest popped into his mind.

"Hey Al?" He heard Scorpius' voice call from the other side of the cubicle.

"Yeah?" He called back, his voice slightly strained.

"Do you want me to wait for you, or can I walk back to the castle to meet up with Adylinn?" He asked, completely unaware of the situation Albus was in.

"You don't have to wait for me, just - just go on. I'll be fine," he replied, eager for his friend to leave so he could take care of his new problem.

"Okay, if you're sure," Scorpius checked.

"Yup. I'm sure," he replied shortly.

"Okay. Well, see you later then?" Scorpius was rather confused since they always walked back together, but he wasn't going to complain if that meant seeing Adylinn sooner.

"Mhm, see ya."

Albus breathed a sigh of relief when he knew Scorpius had left. He hesitantly reached down to touch himself.

Guilt washed over him as he thought about how disgusted Scorpius would be if he knew Albus was about to get off thinking about him.

He told himself that no one had to know and it would be a one time thing... 

He made quick work of his problem, wanting to get out of the public changing rooms quickly without anyone thinking anything was up.

His mind went crazy from imagining Scorpius in the shower with him, kissing his wet skin and grazing his teeth over his neck as he stroked Albus; to imagining himself in Adylinn's place in all the stories Scorpius has told him about their sexual life. He wanted to be the one underneath Scorpius, their hips rocking together and kissing his soft pink lips.

Albus used his free hand to prop himself up on the wall and bit back any noise that threatened to come out of his mouth.

He was picturing Scorpius, with his sweaty bare chest, pining him up against the lockers and making love to him. 

Within seven minutes he was gasping for breath as he finished. The water was falling in his face but he didn't even care as he gained his senses back. 

Albus shuddered as he stepped back out of the stream of water and rubbed the water from his eyes. He let out a small airy laugh as he realized what he'd just done. He quickly rinsed himself off again and got changed.

The drier he got the more the guilt seeped back in. He shouldn't be thinking these things about his straight best friend.

Al's life was over, he could feel it. He finally admitted to himself as he pulled his green hoodie over his head, that he had a crush on Scorpius. He pulled his black cloak over his shoulders, grabbed his stuff and headed back up towards the castle, his mind racing with his new dilemma. 

Later that night, as the Slytherins partied in the common room over their victory, Albus sat on the couch alone with his thoughts and a half drank butterbeer.

Next to him on the couch was Scorpius, which would have been fine had Adylinn not been on his lap, straddling his hips and shoving her tongue down his throat. Her hands were griping his wind blown hair and his were squeezing her hips.

Albus felt his stomach turn uncomfortably but he couldn't look away. He took a swig of his butterbeer, really wishing it had real beer in it.

He had never gotten drunk, but right now he felt like that could be really what he needed after watching the couple.


	4. Ball Invitation

Albus couldn't make eye contact with Scorpius. It had been two weeks and Scorpius was finally wondering what the hell was up with his best friend.

"Hey," Scorpius greeted, bumping shoulders with Albus like normal.

"Hi," Albus merely squeaked, barely flashing a smile before ducking his head.

"You excited for the Yule Ball?" Scorpius asked, trying to start a conversation.

They'd announced last week that they were going to be hosting a Yule Ball, without the Tri-Wizard Tournament part. They'd been doing it for several years now. It'd be Albus' and Scorpius' second year able to attend.

"Yeah, sure," Albus replied curtly, still avoiding eye contact.

"Is there anyone you'd like to take?" Scorpius wondered, still trying to get any real answer from his best friend.

He noticed Albus hesitate for a moment, "No."

"What's up with you recently?" he asked, his voice suddenly turning harsh with impatience. He gripped Al's arm and pulled him to a stop in the corridor. "Why wont you talk to me, or look at me? Did I do something?" he was almost pleading now and Albus' heart wrenched in pain, wanted to tell Scorpius how he did nothing wrong and it was all him getting a stupid crush and feeling guilty. "Please just tell me what I can do to get my best friend back. I miss him. It's been two weeks," The frown on Scorpius' face was too big to bare. "Was it something I did or said about Adylinn? I'm trying so hard to be there for both of you, let me know what I'm doing wrong, please!"

Albus finally willed himself to look up at Scorpius, "You haven't done anything wrong," he reached up and gripped Scorpius' wrist that was holding onto his shoulder, "I promise."

"Then why won't you talk to me?" Albus couldn't help but frown at the sadness in his best friends eyes.

"I'm just dealing with stuff okay? And it'd really help if you just left me alone."

"What stuff? I'm your best friend, why can't you tell me? I want to help you," Scorpius pleaded.

Albus choked on his words, "You can't help me with this."

"I want to try, for you."

Albus heart soared at Scorpius' care for him and he wanted to just get on his tippy-toes and kiss him right then and there, but he refrained. 

"Please, just don't. It's not worth loosing your friendship over," Albus finished, pushing Scorpius' hand off him. "I've gotta go, Scorp. I'll see you later." Albus gripped the strap of his bag and took off down the hall, his robes billowing around him.

Soon enough he found himself in front of the Gryffindor Common Room entrance. He only knew this because in Lily's first few years he'd walk her back at night. Now she was thirteen and too cool for her older brothers.

His plan was just to sit and wait until a Gryffindor came in or out and ask for James.

The Fat Lady recognized him and started up conversation, "The Snake who should have been a Lion."

Albus furrowed his eyebrows at her, "Excuse me?!"

"You're not gonna try and sneak in are you?" she barely paused before saying, "Well I won't let you!"

Albus waved her off, "Don't worry I'm not that needy."

She huffed and crossed her arms, "Good. I've had plenty of you boys go through this door. I don't need another plotting Potter begging to let me in from under an invisibility cloak!"

"I'm just here to speak to my brother," he informed. His patience was wearing thin. If she kept her babbling up at this rate he'd just have to owl James.

The portrait suddenly swung wide open, "Ah! Speak of the devil!" The Fat Lady chortled.

"Oh James! Thank Merlin I need to speak with you," Albus perked up at the sight of his brother.

"How long have you been waiting? I saw you on the map and I figured something was up," James explained as they began walking down the corridor away from the gossiping Fat Lady.

"I haven't been waiting too long," he assured, "but I wanted to ask you a question."

"Shoot," James responded, just like Albus always did. Not that either of them noticed that they did that though.

"Well, I just... Do you have any tips on how to get over your crush on someone?" he blurted.

James chuckled, "Any tips? Like what?"

Albus shrugged helplessly, "I dunno, like don't look at them or even make eye contact. Don't think about them and forget their existence?"

"That's pretty extreme, mate, but I guess I can think of a few," he playfully shook his head at his brother for a moment.

"You know what I mean," Albus groaned.

"I dunno I guess just don't think about them romantically and don't let yourself daydream about them. You can still talk to them and stuff but just think about the things that make you want to be friends with them rather than date them or fuck them or whatever," James tried.

"That's really hard to do because I'm constantly seeing them all lovey on their, er, boyfriend and I just wish it was me," he huffed, almost slipping up and saying 'girlfriend'.

"Who is it?" James questioned, even though he thought he already had an idea.

"No one you'd know," Albus said dismissively.

"Oh come on, I know more people in this castle than you'd think," He nudged his brothers shoulder. "You can't tell me about your crush and then not tell me who it is!"

"I'm not telling you," Albus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mate I can't help you properly if you don't tell me," James whined.

Albus rolled his eyes, "I've gotta go, so thank you for the advice, I'll let you know how it works out for me," he winked and then spun on his foot to walk the other way, his robes fluttering around him.

James huffed in annoyance. He had a new secret to uncover; who Albus had a crush on. As he walked back to the Gryffindor dorms, he was already scheming a way to get the information from his brother.

••••

Albus glanced two seats up at Scorpius who had his head down. They were taking a quiz in Transfiguration and their professor had made them sit in assigned seats for the period.

It had been about a week since Al had chatted with James and he could finally make eye contact with Scorpius again. Their conversations were a bit short but Albus tried very hard for everything to seem normal to Scorpius.

Suddenly Scorpius' head popped up and he turned around, Albus, who had assumed he was making eye contact with him, stuck his tongue out playfully. Scorpius winked and turned back around to his desk.

Albus was stunned, did Scorpius really just wink at him? His stomach erupted with the same butterflies he'd been feeling recently.

Albus had known for a while that he definitely didn't only fancy girls. He'd never really come to terms with it though. And he definitely didn't ever expect to catch feelings for his best friend. He needed to get over this crush fast. He needed to find something else to occupy his time...

He eyed Scorpius as the blond turned in his seat and passed back a folded piece of parchment. He mumbled something to the Ravenclaw between them who turned around with a bored expression and handed the note to Albus without anything to say, so Albus assumed it was for him. 

Albus took the note and hesitated slightly before glancing up at the Professor who seemed distracted before unfolding the parchment. He glanced up at Scorpius briefly before reading but his best friend had his back turned.

He held the note in his lap, and there is Scorpius' perfect, cursive handwriting read, 'Will you go to the Yule Ball with me? - Scorpius XX'

Al's heart stopped. Scorpius was asking him to the ball? Did he know about Albus' stupid feelings? Was he teasing him? Did he like him back in that way? How could he go with Albus when he was obviously dating Adylinn? Would they go as just friends? Albus' mind was racing with a thousand questions, and his heart was beating just as fast with confusion and excitement.

After the quiz was over, their Professor asked them to turn around and give their quiz to the person behind them for peer grading. The Ravenclaw unenthusiastically handed his quiz back and Albus turned and handed his to Adylinn who gave him a polite smile before turning to give her quiz away.

Al of course returned the smile, but he suddenly felt guilty. He knew Scorpius asking him to the ball would cause drama with her - unless of course they'd already talked about it and she was going separate with friends too.

The class seemed to end sooner than usual and Albus quickly found Scorpius standing outside the classroom door. Al approached his best friend excitedly, "Yes!" He blurted, "I'll go with you!" He bounced on his heels slightly as he gave his answer to Scorpius' note.

Confusion flashed across the blond's face, "Pardon?"

Albus opened his mouth to explain, while reaching into his pocket for the note, but was cut off by Adylinn. She slipped her arms around Scorpius' torso and cooed into his neck, "Hi babe."

Albus watched, his heart clenching as Scorpius' eyes fluttered shut and he pressed his lips to Adylinn's. He pulled away soon enough and smiled sweetly, "Hi, love. How was your quiz? Did you get my note?"

Albus' stomach lurched at his friend's words. Fuck.

"What note?" Adylinn questioned innocently, nudging her boyfriend's cheek with her nose.

"I just asked if you'd like to go to the ball with me is all," Scorpius pushed a strand of her soft brown hair behind her ear.

Albus wanted the ground to swallow him up, to vanish into thin air. He'd never felt like such an idiot in his whole life. His stomach was turning with embarrassment and betrayal and his mind was screaming, 'Duh! You IDIOT!' And then he realized it was definitely Adylinn who Scorpius had winked at too, and not him. Why he ever thought Scorpius would take him to the Yule Ball over Adylinn, the love of his life, Albus didn't know. Albus realized he needed to get over this petty crush A.S.A.P. If it was just going to fill his head with this wishful thinking.

Adylinn squealed and Albus quickly shoved the note back in his pocket. She pulled Scorpius into a deep kiss and Al had to turn his attention to his shoes. 

"Yes, of course I'll go with you silly!"

Scorpius chuckled and Al glanced back up to see his hands grip her hips and pull her flush with his body. Albus turned away again, studying a nearby statue while they finished shoving their tongues down each other's throats. Al couldn't believe his best friend had turned into one of those couples in the halls that they used to gag over together.

After they had their moment, Scorpius turned back to Albus, "So what were you saying Al?"

Albus noticed his friends flushed cheeks, and that his lips were already a bit plumper than usual and had to suppress the butterflies and jealousy. "Oh it was nothing," he waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just gonna head to lunch though, are you two coming?"

The couple glanced at each other before Scorpius replied, "I think we're gonna sneak off and get some... alone time," he winked and it took all of Al's power to keep his face from turning to a tomato.

"Oh," Al squeaked, "Yeah, uh for sure... Have fun then," he spun on his heel and vanished down the hall before either of them could give a goodbye.


	5. The Yule Ball

Iza found Albus eating lunch in the Great Hall alone and squeezed into the spot next to him. He was staring off into space, wallowing in his pain of Scorpius unknowingly rejecting him.

"Hey, Al," she greeted, "have you seen Ady?"

Albus pulled his nose up in distaste as he turned to her, "She's off shagging Scorpius in a broom closet somewhere I believe."

"Oh," she mimicked his disgust at the image he put in her head. "I guess I'll just eat lunch with you if that's alright."

"Yeah, for sure," Albus smiled lamely.

She began filling a plate that magically popped up in front of her and chatted away about some drama she'd overheard in Transfiguration class. Albus just mindlessly nodded along, his mind hazy with thoughts of Scorpius.

His interest perked when she mentioned the Yule Ball.

"Are you planning on asking anyone?"

Al felt his shoulders shrugging, "I might just go alone. Haven't thought about it much," he lied. "Dances aren't my thing anyways, too clumsy for that."

"Hmm," Iza hummed, leaning closer to Albus so their shoulders touched, "I don't have a date yet either. I'd really like someone to ask me though." She glanced almost longingly at Albus as if to hint at him to ask. However, Albus was oblivious and blinded by his hurt from Scorpius earlier.

He numbly pushed his food around his plate, "I'm sure someone will ask you. We've still got a few weeks."

"Yeah," she sighed dramatically, "Maybe Alfie will ask me, he's pretty fit."

Albus merely hummed in agreement, "He's a nice lad."

She rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table, "Alright Al, I'm going to head to Herbology now, are you coming?"

"Nah, go on without me," he waved her off and she huffed, grabbing her bag, her robes sweeping through the air as she quickly made her exit.

••••

"Albus Potter, are you daft?" Scorpius' voice echoed through the empty dorms as he entered.

Al, who was propped up in bed, reading a book, replied with the same amount of anger out of confusion, "Excuse me?"

Scorpius let his rucksack thump onto his bed, "Adylinn told me that Iza's trying to drop hints about you asking her to the Yule Ball, but you're being completely oblivious."

Al furrowed his eyebrows, "She told me she wanted Alfie to ask her, that doesn't seem like dropping hints to me."

Scorpius groaned, "Just bloody ask her, okay?"

Albus' frown took over his face, "Why? So you and Adylinn don't feel guilty?"

"No? Why? What would we feel guilty about?"

"I know you have been trying to hook Iza and I up so you two can have your best friends as double dates and not feel guilty about abandoning us every weekend for each other," Albus huffed, "I get it Scorpius, you say I'm important to you but it's really just Adylinn you care about. It's always 'Adylinn says this' and 'Adylinn did that' and 'I love when Adylinn touches my dick.' Have you ever thought for a moment that maybe I don't want to hear about every detail in your sex life? And that maybe it makes me uneasy to see you with your tongue down her throat constantly?" He ranted. His face was heating up with anger and Scorpius was stunned.

He wasn't expecting this from his best friend, he didn't think Albus minded that much. He was always so willing to listen...

"Merlin, Al. I didn't know you felt that way. You could've said something..."

Albus huffed again and pushed himself out of bed, "Whatever Scorp," he grabbed his broom, "I'm going flying. Don't bother following me. I need to be alone."

••••

Albus found himself with his hands trained on Iza's waist, her arms were resting around his shoulders. He was staring across the Great Hall at his best friend who had his chest flush with Adylinn's, their noses brushing as they swayed to the music.

"Ow," Iza squeaked as Albus' foot stepped on her uncovered toes.

"Sorry," he apologized lamely, breaking from his trance. That was probably the fifth time that had happened that night and Albus was tempted to ask if she just wanted to go sit instead.

Albus had eventually asked Iza to the Ball out of guilt and loneliness. In the end he was glad he asked her, they always ended up enjoying each other's company.

Albus found his eyes trained back on Scorpius and Adylinn. He probably looked like a sad puppy as he stared.

Iza broke his trance again, "You've been staring at them all night."

She didn't seem upset or jealous, but Albus couldn't help the embarrassed flush creep up his neck and cheeks. He moved his gaze to their feet and mumbled another apology.

"Stop apologizing for everything Al, tell me what's wrong. You're usually not this high strung."

"I'm being high strung?" He looked up at her with a worried look and she simply chuckled. "It's just... I miss him. He hasn't talked to me since I yelled at him in our dorm. I want to apologize but I don't want him to think I'm over how he acts with Adylinn."

Adylinn had a knowing glint in her eye, "Be honest Al - yes, you had a rough argument with him - but that's not the real reason you've been ogling them all night..."

Albus' stomach dropped as he gave her a surprised look. How did she know he had a crush on Scorpius? 

She hesitated before continuing, "You're jealous aren't you?"

Albus spluttered, "Why-why would I be jealous?"

"'Cause you've got a crush on Adylinn, don't you?" The look on her face told Albus that she thought she'd busted him.

He thought for a moment before speaking. Iza was a trustworthy person. If he could confide in anyone besides Scorpius it was probably her. "Close," he merely mumbled in response. He turned back to Scorpius and Adylinn to see them snogging and had to turn back to Iza as he felt his stomach turn.

Iza was silent, and Albus could tell that she hadn't quite understood what he meant. Then her eyes went wide in realization, "Wait," she said in a hushed tone. She leaned in, "Do you have a crush on Scorpius?" His face heated up and Iza took that as a yes.

"Don't tell anyone, please. I've barely even come to terms with it myself and I feel incredibly guilty. It's so lame, he'd never return the feelings," he rambled.

She chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. So does this mean you're gay?"

"I don't think so," he answered, "I'm pretty sure I fancy both? But prefer guys? I haven't really thought about it much, it all happened so quick," he admitted. They had slowed to a stop and found themselves at the drink table.

"Think it's okay that you don't know yet," she replied casually as she poured herself a drink. "You're still young. You've got your whole life ahead of you. You don't have to know now. Or ever really," she gave him an assuring smile.

Albus' heart swelled with love and warmth, "Thanks Iza. That makes me feel a bit better."

She shrugged sheepishly, "It's whatever. I just have one question though."

"Shoot," Albus replied, taking a sip of his own punch as they wandered over to an empty table.

"I just wanna know if you'd date me. Like ever."

Albus tried to suppress a giggle, "Wait, are you serious?"

Iza giggled too, knowing her question was a bit ridiculous, "Yes."

Albus glanced up at the ceiling as he thought carefully about his answer, "I don't see why not, but honestly I value our relationship as friends too much. I have a feeling if we dated at this point it'd be too awkward," he admitted.

Iza giggled again, "That's fair. But just so you know, first and second year I had a crush on you."

Albus laughed into his hand, "Wait really?"

••••

Adylinn nodded towards Albus and Iza who were sat at the tables, "Look, they're laughing together." Scorpius followed her eyes to see his best friend with a big grin on his face. His heart swelled for a moment with love before quickly tightening as he remembered their fight. He wanted to badly in that moment to rush over there and hug him and apologize, but he didn't think Albus would appreciate that, so he stayed and continued to dance with Adylinn.

"How much do you wanna bet that they'll hook up tonight?" Adylinn turned back to face her boyfriend and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Scorpius turned back to her and frowned as he thought about his best friend like that. He suddenly had a flash of what Albus must feel like when he talks about shagging Adylinn. "Al's not like that. Besides... maybe we should stop pressuring them to hang out all the time, and let them hang out on their own terms."

Adylinn scrunched her face up in confusion as they flowed across the dance floor, "Are you saying that because of what Albus told you?"

The frown didn't leave Scorpius' face. "Sort of. I've been thinking about it, and yeah, he was an arse about it, but he's got a point."

Adylinn huffed and briefly glanced back at their friends, "He's your best friend, right?" Scorpius nodded, unsure of where she was going with this. "Then he should be there for you and listen to whatever you need to talk about. It's really selfish of him to ask you to stop talking about me. Iza is wonderful and always lets me talk about you and our relationship. She's the first person I talk to about things, besides you of course. That's how you guys should be too."

Scorpius was silent as he took in her words. "Have you ever actually asked Iza if she likes it when you talk about me or us?"

His girlfriend faltered and stuttered, "W-well... no... but I-I mean she's always enthusiastic about us..." she seemed unsure and Scorpius knew he asked the right thing because he could see the gears turning in her brain as she thought about it. 

The song switched and Scorpius looked over Adylinn's shoulder to see Albus and Iza get up from their table and head to the dance floor. The song was more upbeat and pop-y, and not a slow dancing song. He let his arms fall from Adylinn's waist.

"Why don't you ask her next time then." She looked slightly affronted by him stepping away and his suggestion. "I'm going to go talk to Albus now." He stepped away from her and she let out a small gasp as he walked away.

A fond smile formed on Scorpius' lips as he approached Iza and Al, the latter's back facing him. The two friends were doing awkward and uncoordinated dance moves, but neither of them cared as they laughed about it.

Iza's dances halted as she spotted Scorpius behind Al. Malfoy cleared his throat and Albus turned around to see his best friend, his eyes widened out of surprise.

Scorpius couldn't help but feel his heart flutter as he watched Al's soft green eyes flicker from his face, then down his body and back. "Hi, Al. Mind if I join you guys?"

Albus hesitated and glanced Iza briefly before nodding quickly, "Yeah, of course." Scorpius gave him a warm, thankful smile and Albus felt his breath catch in his throat.

The three swayed stiffly for several moments and Iza sensed the awkwardness and spoke up, "So, I'm gonna go... Leave you two to it."

"Wait, Iza - no," Albus weakly reached out for her as she stepped away. She just winked at Albus and vanished between the hot, dancing crowd of people.

Scorpius reached out and grabbed Albus' arm to get his attention, "Al, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, I was out of line..." Albus replied, trying his best to not be hyper-aware of how Scorpius' strong hand felt gripping his bicep.

"No, Al, I was. I should have realized that I made you uncomfortable to talk about Adylinn like that. I promise I'll do better. I've been such a shit best friend to you and I didn't even realize. I hope you can forgive me and let me try again," Scorpius spoke sincerely, not even aware of all the people mindlessly dancing around the two boys who were stood still.

"It's okay, really. I forgive you. I know she means a lot to you. I've never had a girlfriend or boyfriend so I don't know how it feels to love someone like that, but I'm trying to understand," Albus admitted. His words were confident and he suppressed a giggle at Scorpius face as he realized what he said.

"Yeah- wait, what? Did you say... boyfriend?"

Albus smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. It's a new discovery but uh, don't worry about that. That's not important."

"No it is Al, I feel so awful. When did you, like... know? Where have I been?" Scorpius looked genuinely upset.

Albus shrugged, "I dunno, with Adylinn mostly."

"Shit Al, I'm sorry. Who else knows?" Scorpius asked.

"Just Iza, but you can't tell people, okay? I only trust you two," Albus explained. He could feel his cheeks heating up and he couldn't hold eye contact with Scorpius for very long. All he could think about is how much he just wanted to confess his feelings right then and there. But he didn't. He refrained.


	6. Christmas at the Weasleys

"Sooooo," James hummed as he stepped into pace next to Albus is the corridor, "How's the crush thing going?"

The ball had been a couple days ago and now they were in the midst of Mid-Term exams and the yearning for winter break was ever present. Scorpius had been spending more time with Albus now, more than usual actually, but Al wasn't about to complain. Al just hoped that it wasn't temporary and that once everything was normal he'd go back to hanging out with Adylinn more.

"Uhh," Albus replied dumbly, "It's gotten better - or worse? I dunno. We're spending more time together than ever making it nearly impossible for me to forget my crush now."

"Hm, typical," James nodded as if he dealt with this all the time, "Have you ever thought about telling her?"

"Just straight up?"

"Straight up."

"Uh, no. Absolutely not."

"Ack, come on mate! Why not?"

Albus gave him a deadpan look, "That would be suicide."

James responded with a flabbergasted look, "It's just a girl! What's the worst that could happen? She says no? Boo boo, poor Alby can't take no for an answer," he teased in a mocking voice.

Albus huffed in objection, "It's not that I can't take no for an answer! You wouldn't understand... I'd loose a whole friendship, and I care about our friendship more than a relationship. Besides, they're already dating someone anyways."

"Ah, I see," James eyed him with a smirk, "You're just a pussy, that's it."

Albus spluttered, "Am not!"

"Mhm!" James turned to walk backwards a few paces in front of Albus. "Albus Severus Potter is a pussy!" He said loudly and Albus felt his cheeks heat up and he stumbled over his feet slightly. "Albus Potter can't even ask a girl out!"

"I can too!" He protested lamely.

"No balls!" Is all James replied with before turning back around and skipping off quickly before Al could hex him.

Albus was left to think about his next move. Should he really tell Scorpius? Would that make things better? Or worse?

••••

Christmas break was now two days away and the four Slytherins were chilling in their common room, studying for their last exams when Adylinn spoke up.

"Hey Scorp, baby, I was wondering if you wanted to spend Christmas Eve with me and my family," she asked sweetly, tracing her hand from behind his ear to his chin.

Albus cringed at her contact and looked away before he could see Scorpius frown.

"I actually... uh, already told Albus I would go to his family's Christmas," Scorpius replied.

Albus perked up and gave him a curious look. Albus had definitely not mentioned that to Scorpius, in fact, he'd decided not to tell him that he was invited, like every other year, because he assumed he'd already made plans with Adylinn.

"Isn't that right, Al?" Scorpius turned and gave him a hopeful look as if asking Al not to spoil his lie.

"Yes," Albus nodded, "He's come to my Grandparents house every year for Christmas."

"Oh," Adylinn shifted awkwardly and shuffled back to her notes. "So I'll just see you at Jace's New Year party then?"

"I guess," Scorpius replied lamely.

Several moments passed and Albus leaned over to Scorpius and whispered, "Do you really want to come to my family's Christmas?"

"If you'll let me," Scorpius gave a shy smile, acknowledging that they'd only recently just fallen back to normality in their friendship.

"Of course," Albus nodded. He wanted to ask why he lied to Adylinn but figured he would ask when they were alone.

But the next time they were alone without Adylinn, Albus had forgotten. The exams passed and they went home for the break.

After the train ride home, the next time Albus saw Scorpius was Christmas Eve.

The Potter-Weasley-Lupin clan had their Christmas feast and opened all their presents by around ten at night. The Burrow, however was still bustling with loud aunts, uncles, and cousins, filling up every inch of the magically-enlarged family room. Everyone was caught up in conversations or dancing and singing along to Christmas music.

Albus was stood in a corner with Scorpius by his side, both with steaming cups of hot cocoa in their hands, marshmallows floating happily at the top.

Albus gripped Scorpius' sleeve and pulled him towards the door that lead to the kitchen, "Come on," he whispered.

Scorpius glanced around the room to see no one paying them any mind and let his best friend drag him into an empty and cluttered kitchen from their earlier meal. The dishes were still all on the counter half eaten and dug through. It felt so much more chaotic and fun than a Christmas celebration with his extended family and he loved it dearly.

Albus then guided him through the kitchen to the side door that led outside to a small sitting area, covered by an awning.

It was brisk outside, snow had only just started falling, barely leaving a dusting on the dead, brown grass around them.

They both had their famous Weasley sweaters on which was just enough to protect from the chilly winter winds that were beginning to sweep past.

You could still hear the hubbub of Albus' family muffled through the walls of Arthur and Molly's home.

Scorpius had a big grin on his face as he and Albus took their seats outside.

"I hope you don't mind my pulling you away from that chaos," Albus gave him a shy smile back.

"Oh no, I don't mind at all. I like being able to hear you talk to me rather than shout at me," he joked and Albus laughed.

"Yeah, and it was getting quite hot and stuffy in there anyways. The snow is so pretty."

"I know right," Scorpius sighed in agreement as he looked far out into the yard where even the sight of the falling snow flakes seemed to turn to darkness.

It was silent between the two friends for a moment as they took in the magical-ness of the new Christmas snowfall.

Until Albus spoke up, "Why did you lie to Adylinn?"

Scorpius' head turned back to Al, "What ever do you mean?"

"Y'know... About coming here instead of going to her house for Christmas Eve? I hadn't even invited you yet..."

"Oh." Albus saw the realization on his face. "Honestly, I didn't want to spend Christmas with her family. She's got five sisters, Albus. They're all just too much for me."

"And my family isn't?" Albus asked teasingly, gesturing back to the house. You could hear Christmas music bumping through the house. 

Scorpius laughed, "No, your family is wonderful," he shrugged, "I didn't think I could handle it and I didn't know how to say no. So I just used you as an excuse, I hope that was okay?"

Albus nodded, "Of course it's okay. Anytime. I actually hadn't even brought it up because I thought you'd want to do something with her and I didn't want to have to make you choose," he admitted. 

Scorpius frowned slightly, "Wait really?" Al just nodded again. "Well just so you know in the future in a case like this, I'll always pick seeing you and your family over her."

Albus practically beamed. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"You're my best friend for Merlin's sake!" Scorpius beamed back, leaning over to ruffle Albus' snowflake dusted hair. His was probably the same, but the white flakes stood out so beautifully on his black hair that Scorpius couldn't resist touching it.

Albus playfully swatted his hand, "Yeah, but she's your girlfriend!"

Scorpius just rolled his eyes and shifted the conversation, "Why don't you have a girlfriend? Real talk, Al," he said teasingly, "Why aren't I battling for your attention with some girl like you are with Ady?"

Albus huffed and opened his mouth to reply but Scorpius quickly added something.

"Or I guess boyfriend! Right? I'm sorry that I always forget. I'm really proud of you though," he blabbered and Albus chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks. I dunno, I just don't fancy any girls right now," he shrugged, "Rather just focus on Quidditch and school and such."

"What about Iza?"

Albus shook his head, "We've talked about it," he admitted, "She said she used to fancy me, but now we both agree that we're better off as friends."

Scorpius huffed, then playfully furrowed his eyebrows as if he was scrutinizing Albus, trying to search for the answers. "Is there really no one? What about any blokes? Any guys that catch your fancy?"

Albus let his eyes wander away, "Well-" he hesitated for a moment, "I mean, no..."

"Aha!" Scorpius jumped slightly in his seat and pointed at Albus, "There is!"

Albus felt his cheeks heat up, clashing with the cool air around them.

"Can you tell me who?" Scorpius wondered innocently, "I'm your best friend - wait, don't tell me it's Eric Berg!" he exclaimed as if the idea of Albus fancying him made him sick. Berg was one of Gryffindor's Chasers, and James Sirius' best friends. He was extremely fit and was known as one of Hogwarts heart throbs and was openly bisexual. Albus had probably made comments about his looks before, even though they were technically rivals.

Albus snickered in response to Scorpius' guess, "No, It's not Berg, though he is fit," he teasingly winked at Scorpius who pretended to choke and gag making Albus laugh even more.

"Wait - okay, can I try and guess?"

Albus shrugged, "Go ahead. Can't promise if I'll tell you if you got it though," he smirked.

Scorpius, determined to figure it out, returned his scrutinizing look and rubbed his hands together. "Is it..." he seemed to think hard for a moment before his features went soft and he worried his lip between his teeth. "It's me isn't it?"

Albus' stomach flipped and he tried with all his might to keep the blush from creeping up his chest and neck to his cheeks. His forest green sweater contrasting beautifully with his face now. He attempted to stutter out a, 'No,' but his best friend obviously didn't fall for it.

Scorpius gave him a reassuring smile, "It's sort of obvious now that I think about it," he admitted.

Albus buried his face in his hands, "For Fawkes sake, is it really obvious?"

Scorpius chuckled softly, "I mean, no. But when I think about it now: all the times you got upset or uncomfortable when I talked about Adylinn and I doing stuff. Or just your jealousy of her in general. It also explains why you've been going all weird and awkward in the changing rooms after Quidditch. It all makes sense now."

"I'm sorry, I can't really help it. Does it make you uncomfortable?" Albus asked, his face full of regret and hopefulness that Scorpius wasn't repulsed.

"Oh no, not at all. In fact, it's kind of flattering," Scorpius admitted, letting himself blush now.

Albus finally cracked a small smile, "Flattering, really?"

Scorpius shrugged sheepishly, "I mean yeah, if anyone says they have a crush on you it's quite flattering when you don't consider yourself that crushable of a person."

Albus couldn't help but laugh in amusement, "But, Scorp, you've got a girlfriend, how can you not be 'crushable'?"

Scorpius couldn't help but laugh too, "I know but, that's only one girl who's ever shown interest in me."

Suddenly the sound of the screen door slamming knocked them from their conversation. They both turned to see Lily Luna coming down the wooden steps to join them.

"Who's showing interest in you?" she asked curiously as she sat down in one of the several mismatched seats across from them. She had brought a large fuzzy blanket from Grandma Molly's stash and had it wrapped around her small frame.

"Oh just my girlfriend," Scorpius waved dismissively.

"Oh yes, Adylinn? Her sister is in my year, I believe," Lily replied.

"Which one?" Scorpius scoffed. "She's got five."

Lily opened her mouth in surprise but before she could say anything, Albus spoke up, "How did you find us out here?"

"Uncle George wanted us to play some game and I noticed you two had disappeared, so I set off to find you, and ta-daaa," she gestured to them with minimal enthusiasm.

"In other words - you didn't want to play," Albus gave her a knowing look and she just nodded with a smirk.

"Exactly, so what were we discussing out here? Your girlfriend?" She directed at Scorpius.

"Er, yeah, kind of," he shrugged.

Lily quickly turned to Albus, "What about you, Al? Do you not have a girlfriend yet? James told me you've been moaning about some girl but he can't figure out who it is."

Albus groaned in annoyance, "James has been talking to you about that? Why is everyone so interested in my love life? It's nonexistent, people!"

Before the conversation could continue any further, the door was pushed open again and Ginny stepped out, "There you are! Come inside now, we need you three for our game!"

Before Lily jumped up she pointed at Albus, "We'll finish this discussion later." She then dashed past her mum into the house.

"No we will not," Albus grumbled as he pushed himself out of the chair.

Once Ginny knew Albus and Scorpius were coming inside she slipped away, leaving them alone momentarily.

Albus stepped up the stairs, reaching to open the door when he felt Scorpius' hand tug his arm back. 

"Wait," Scorpius' voice was meek and Albus turned around, stepping back to the bottom step which made him eye level with Scorpius who was still stood on the ground.

Albus looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

"I need to know something," he practically whispered. Albus, gave him a soft confused look and opened his mouth to reassure him but was cut off by Scorpius' hands taking either side of his face and pulling him in to connect their lips strongly.

Albus' eyes were left wide in shock but only for a moment, he quickly closed them and kissed back, not wanting to waste this moment. His heart was pounding in his chest and his stomach held a zoo of butterflies. This was the longest - and also the shortest - moment of his life.

Before he could question what to do with his own hands, Scorpius pulled away and dashed inside, leaving Albus dumbstruck and the door swinging on its hinges.


	7. New Years Eve

Scorpius acted as if nothing had happened. At first this frustrated Albus to no end. 

Granted he didn't see Scorpius much after Christmas Eve until Jace's New Years party. Jace was one of their dorm mates and friends. He and Albus weren't necessarily close, but they still got along well, and he had a big house with a pool, so Albus wasn't about to say no to his invite.

The house was crowded with Hogwarts students, mostly Slytherins. Albus hadn't found Scorpius or Iza yet, but he knew they'd be here by now. He was rather late because he'd been fretting over his outfit too much. In the end he'd chosen a soft creme colored sweater with black ripped jeans and had worn his favorite copper brown cloak over it all.

He wandered through the kitchen and saw that there were some snacks and drinks, both alcoholic and not. He didn't want to know how Jace had gotten that. He kept walking and found his three friends on the outside deck watching some fireworks go off in the distance. Midnight was still about two hours away but Jace's neighbors seemed excited.

"Hey, Al!" Scorpius greeted cheerfully. Albus merely nodded at him, not sure what to make of his behavior. He was dressed in tight fitting grey pants, a black turtle neck. His maroon cloak was drapped over Adylinn's smaller frame. Albus eyed her carefully, making sure Scorpius noticed the slight scowl he had on his face. She was wearing an extremely short gold sequined dress. Scorpius' arm was wrapped almost protectively around her waist. That made him slightly queasy.

"Al!" Iza practically squealed and pulled him into a hug.

"Hi," he chuckled, hugging her back, "It's good to see you! How was your Christmas? Did your parents give you trouble?" he asked curiously.

"Oh no, it wasn't a big of deal as I'd thought," she went on, "It was probably the best Christmas because it was the first where they didn't fight!" she smiled.

"That's fantastic," he smiled warmly back at his friend before briefly glancing over her shoulder at Scorpius and Adylinn who were giggling and whispering into each other's necks. His stomach turned and Iza noticed where his eyes were trained.

"Hey," she reached up and grabbed his jaw between her dainty fingers and tilted his head back down to her, "Don't worry about those two tonight. They're bound to be gross. Just focus on something else, okay? I want you to have a good night, is that fair?"

Albus bit his lip and nodded, doing all he could to not look back up at the couple as he heard Adylinn giggle.

"Come on, why don't we go in and get a drink? That'll loosen you up for sure," she winked and grabbed his hand before he could protest.

She dragged him back into the house, the way he'd just come.

"Are you sure a drink is a good idea?" Albus whined. "I don't want to get in trouble..."

"One drink won't kill you, Al," with two beer bottles in her hands, she rolled her eyes and shoved one at him, keeping the other to herself.

He hesitantly took it and eyed it as if was some vile potion she'd just brewed.

"This one tastes like lemonade, you'll like it, trust me," she took a small sip of hers and Albus closed his eyes and took a swig soon realizing it wasn't all that bad and he didn't feel any different.

"See? Not bad," she smiled and Albus shook his head. "Now tell me what's new with you and Scorpius. You're both acting weird."

Albus sighed and took another drink before answering. "So, you know that Scorpius came to my grandparents house for Christmas, right?"

"Yes, Ady had a fit that he couldn't come to hers," Iza chuckled.

"Yeah - well - it was good and all, but then at the end he... he kissed me, Iza," he blurted.

Her eyes went wide, "Really?" she asked skeptically.

Albus nodded, eager for her to believe him, because right now he felt like maybe he'd just dreamed it. 

"We were talking about girlfriends and being crushable and I admitted to having a crush on him and then before we left, he said 'I have to know something,' then he just kissed me," he explained. "The worst part is that he's acting like it never happened."

Iza cringed, "Yikes, Al, that's rough. I don't know what to tell you honestly. Maybe he was curious after you told him you fancied him, and then he realized he still has Adylinn and knew he couldn't keep bringing the kiss up," she tried.

Albus sighed sadly, "You're probably right but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. I'm so upset, and I don't know what to do anymore. I can't get over him now!"

"Yes you can, and yes you will!" she replied confidently before pushing Albus out of the kitchen into the living room where most of the people were talking and dancing.

The night went on and Albus was definitely drunk, but he was loving it. He felt so light and carefree. Iza, regretting her choice of giving Albus that first beer, and was trying to pull Al away from the living room where the heart of the party was. He was clumsily dancing and occasionally having to steady himself on a random classmate and Iza knew he needed to sit down and drink some water, maybe have some crisps too.

"Albus," she said sternly, pulling him off a boy she recognized was a Gryffindor in their year. Albus was giggling into his arm and slurred out an apology to him as he was tugged away.

"Why, Iza? I was having fun!" he stumbled on the rug as she brought him back outside where Scorpius and Adylinn had found a comfy sitting area on the porch and were squished up together. 

"Yeah, but now you need to calm down. I shouldn't of let you have any more drinks after the first one," she sighed.

Scorpius finally noticed them approaching and a concerned look crossed his face as he saw Albus giggling and tripping, "What happened to him?"

"He had a few too many drinks," she huffed, pushing the drunk boy towards the couch, "Can you keep an eye on him while I go fetch some water and something for him to eat?"

"Of course," Scorpius nodded and shifted to get up, but was quickly halted as Albus realized who it was.

"Scorpius!" he cried and shoved Iza away, practically collapsing onto Scorpius' lap. The blond huffed at the sudden weight on him, but gladly put his arms around his friend to keep him in one place. He didn't move him off when Albus' arms draped around his neck lazily. "Oh thank Merlin you're here. You just made this night so much better!" Albus cheered.

Adylinn laughed next to the boys, catching Albus' attention.

"Oh," Albus' head titled like a curious dog's as he eyed her, "of course you're here too."

"Yes I am," she had a curious smile playing at her lips, completely unaware of why Albus was upset at her being there.

"Aren't you cold?" Al asked bluntly, "With your dress that's too small?"

"Al," Scorpius hissed, spotting his best friend's bitterness.

Adylinn only giggled again, "I'm quite fine, actually. Scorpius gave me his cloak, so I'm perfect."

Albus made a funny, discontented noise at that and turned back to Scorpius. He moved one hand up and touched the blond's face gently.

"Albus," Scorpius quickly warned, moving his own hand to grip Al's wrist and pull it down.

Albus huffed and looked away, "I know." He forcefully pushed himself off of his best friend's lap onto the couch they'd been sitting on.

He heard Adylinn question what that was but chose to not acknowledge it. Scorpius dismissed it and turned to talk to Albus but the Potter was already off his spot and stumbling back towards the back door.

"Albus, stop!" Scorpius quickly got up from next to Adylinn to get Albus but Iza reached him first.

"Albus, what are you doing? You're supposed to be with Scorpius," Iza sighed, grabbing Al's arm and noticing the overly forlorn look on her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Albus ducked his head, "I can't kiss him Iza. I can't do it."

Iza frowned slightly and looked up over Albus' shoulder at Scorpius who had just approached them and heard Al's dilemma. 

Scorpius frowned back and mouthed, 'I'm sorry,' to Iza over Al's shoulder.

Iza shook her head and turned Albus back around, taking him back to where they'd been previously sitting and pushed Al into a chair.

"Drink this, and eat these," she dropped a packet of pretzels into his lap and set a water on the table next to him.

Albus obeyed grumpily and sat quietly as the three others talked.

Soon enough the people inside were chanting the count down till midnight and Albus barely noticed.

Scorpius and Adylinn were gazing expectantly at each other as Iza chanted along.

As the clock struck midnight, Iza cheered and Scorpius and Adylinn kissed. Albus watched the couple, an unreadable look on his face. He could already feel himself sobering up, but not enough for him to stop himself from lurching from his chair, knocking his glass of water over as he beelined it to the door.

Iza was shocked for a moment until she glanced over and saw Scorpius and Ady still making out and knew what it was. She quickly followed Albus inside.

She pushed her way through the celebrating people and found him lip locked with the poor Gryffindor boy from earlier. He seemed quite taken back, but not against Albus' forwardness.

Albus' hands were already tangled in the boy's dirty blonde hair and his hands were tightly squeezing Al's hips and Iza was torn if she should take Albus away from the Gryffindor again. 

As she hesitated, she noticed a group of Hufflepuff girls surrounding Jace, who had his camera out. It suddenly flashed, most definitely capturing Albus and the unnamed boy snogging.

"Shit," she mumbled and stormed over to the party host, "Hey, hand that over," she held her hand out for the camera.

"No way!" he laughed, jerking the camera away from her reach.

"Then delete that last photo, that's not fair to them," she said sternly.

"What? I've taken pictures of everyone snogging each other and drinking. It's not going to hurt anyone," he argued.

After a few more minutes of rustling with Jace, she realized she wasn't going to win and turned back to Albus and the Gryffindor to see that they'd disappeared.

"Fuck," was all she could say as she dashed out of the living room into the kitchen. They weren't there so she rushed back to the porch to see Scorpius and Adylinn completely unaware of anything but each other.

"I can't find Albus," Iza huffed, "I think he ran off with some blond Gryffindor boy," she explained, "Help me look for him, please."

The couple quickly got up and followed Iza into the house. "Also if you see Jace, try to tell him to delete that photo of Albus. He'll know what you mean," Iza added before they split up and agreed to look in all the possible rooms.

Scorpius was the one to find Albus. He pushed the third bedroom door open to find Albus pinned down on the bed by a blond boy he assumed was the Gryffindor that Iza had mentioned. His stomach turned uncomfortably at the sight of the random boy holding Al's wrists and attacking his neck.

Albus' head turned and he made a noise that was a mixture between a gasp and a moan which caused Scorpius' stomach to flip and turn again.

"Albus," Scorpius growled causing the black haired boy's eyes to snap open.

"Scorpius," Albus breathed out, causing the blond on top of him to pause and pull away, realizing that he wasn't saying his own name.

"Let's go, Albus," Scorpius snapped again. "You need to go home."

Albus pushed the Gryffindor boy off him and Scorpius pulled him to his feet, "But Scorpius..." Albus mumbled.

Scorpius held on to Albus' arm to stable him and turned back to the other boy, "Do you have a friend I can find you to make sure you get home safe?"

The unnamed boy huffed and stood up, "I'll be fine," he glared at the two and left the room rather quickly.

Albus, unbothered by the other boys leaving, was attempting to get out of Scorpius' sober hold, "Let me go!"

"I'm taking you home, Al," Scorpius sighed, not needing to use much force to guide - drag rather - Albus out of the room. "We need to find Ady and Iza though."

"I don't care about Ady - go find her yourself," Albus attempted to shove Scorpius away, but he didn't have the stability to be doing that right now and Scorpius merely had to take an extra step to the side to keep them both balanced.

He huffed in annoyance and felt his heart clench sadly at Al's words, although didn't expect anything else. He spotted Iza in the front entry way of the house and let out a sigh of relief. She spotted them too.

"Oh thank Merlin you found him," she pulled his face between her hands momentarily and Albus rolled his eyes, jerking his head from her soft hold.

"I'm fine, thank you very much," he huffed.

"Where's Ady?" Scorpius asked Iza.

She shrugged, "I haven't seen her. I'll go find her so we can leave. Let her know we found Al. You stay with him." She walked off quickly down the hall that Adylinn had gone down when they'd split up.

The first door she opened was just a closet. Before she could pull open the next door, it swung open and Adylinn stepped out in a hurry.

"Oh! Iza! Hi," she flushed, wiping something off her mouth even though nothing was there.

Iza glanced behind her best friend into the room to see it was a bathroom and Jace was also in there, fumbling with his trouser's zipper and they briefly made confused eye contact as Adylinn pushed the door shut.

"Wha-what was that?" Iza hissed as the two girls headed back down the hall towards Albus and Scorpius.

"Don't worry about it," Adylinn said simply, "I got Jace to delete the photo and that's all you need to know," she gave Iza an intense look, so she held her tongue.

The four of them met up and Iza looked between her three friends and realized she knew too many secrets...


	8. Starting the Year off Wrong

The front door swung open after many knocks from Scorpius to reveal Ginny Potter in her dressing gown. She practically gasped at the sight of Albus drunkenly hanging off Scorpius.

"Oh my, Albus," Ginny took him from Scorpius' side and guided the two boys into the house. "You go to the kitchen and get him some water and in the upper right cupboard there's a potion - it should be labeled," she instructed and Scorpius nodded obediently as she took Albus upstairs to his room.

Scorpius met her upstairs quickly with the things she requested.

"Here," he offered her the glass and potion bottle.

"Thank you, darling," she gladly took them and turned back to Albus who was rustling around, and propped up in bed. He turned his face away from the potion she was trying to make him drink.

Scorpius sighed, "I'm really sorry Ginny. I should've kept a better eye on him. It's my fault he's like this, I'm a terrible friend," he rubbed his face harshly both out of tiredness and stress.

"Hey," Ginny set the potion on Al's night stand before turning around to Scorpius who was sat further down on the bed. "You're a wonderful friend, Scorpius," she put a comforting hand on his knee. "I appreciate you so much for bringing him home and taking care of him when you could. A terrible friend wouldn't be here right now making sure he got home safe."

Scorpius just frowned and bowed his head, knowing there was more to what made him a terrible friend right now, but not wanting to spill anything Albus didn't want his mum knowing.

"Would you like to stay the night? To make sure he's alright?" Ginny offered. "I know I'd sleep better if you had an eye on him over anyone else."

Scorpius' heart warmed at her kind words and he nodded, "I can do that."

She stood up and leaned over and placed a kiss on top of Al's forehead. He was drifting off to sleep but every time he jerked back to consciousness he found enough strength to glare at both of them.

She then moved over and placed a light kiss on Scorpius' head, "Thank you so much, you're such a blessing."

He felt his cheeks flush, "Of course. Anything for Albus," he glanced over at his best friend who had finally drifted off to sleep.

She smiled warmly. "He should be out for a while, but if he wakes up just make him drink some more water. He'll probably wake up grumpy and with a headache but the potion should help dull it and any other symptoms," she explained. "Do you need me to find you some pajamas or can you manage?"

"I can manage," he assured her. He knew Albus' room just as well as his own. They've had plenty of sleepovers in the past five years.

"I'll owl your parents tonight so they know you're alright," she added.

"Thank you, I didn't even think about them I was so worried about Al," he sighed gratefully.

She nodded understandingly, "Goodnight, Scorpius. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Ginny." She shut the door and left him in darkness. He leaned over and flicked on Al's bedside lamp and wandered over to his dresser to dig in his bottom drawer for pajamas. He quickly changed and slid into bed next to Albus and flicked the light back off.

Scorpius laid there for several hours, unable to sleep because he was so consumed by his own thoughts. It was all a blur of Albus and his feelings for the boy and comparing it to his feelings for Adylinn.

It was nearing four AM when Albus stirred and groaned, waking up and shuffling about in the sheets. Scorpius, who was still awake, whispered, "Hey. Al."

Albus rolled over and looked up at Scorpius in the dim light coming from the moon and street lamps outside the window.

"You're still here?" is all Albus whispered back.

"Yes. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why?" Al asked, almost a hint of malice in his whisper.

"Because I care about you, you're my best friend."

He watched as Al's lip quivered as if he was going to cry. "I'm sorry," he choked slightly.

"For what?" Scorpius asked, reaching out to brush his cheek softly but Albus pushed his hand away.

"Please..." he mumbled, asking him to not touch him. Scorpius felt his heart tighten a bit, unsure why he wouldn't want that. "I'm sorry for tonight. I shouldn't have drank so much."

Scorpius shook his head, "You've got nothing to apologize for. If anyone's sorry, it should be me." Albus looked at him curiously. "I should've realized how selfish it was to be all up on Adylinn when - well you know."

Albus just nodded. "It really hurts, Scorpius. Like really bad."

Scorpius felt his heart break and he frowned, furrowing his eyebrows, "I know now. I didn't realize until now."

Albus hiccuped and tears brimmed in his eyes, "It's so painful, you don't even know. And to just act like you never kissed me... that was the worst thing of all. Why'd you do it if you weren't willing to change anything?"

Scorpius' frown didn't disappear. "I wasn't thinking. I was curious and stupid. I wanted to know what it'd be like, and when you admitted to fancying me the idea popped into my head and I didn't think how much it'd actually affect you," he admitted. "Then I remembered Adylinn and I just wanted to forget about it so she wouldn't find out."

"You didn't once think about my feelings?"

Scorpius' heart broke even more and he wished Albus would just punch him instead. It'd hurt less than this. "I-I... I did..."

Albus shook his head, "No you didn't. At least not until tonight, over a week later."

Scorpius worried his lip between his teeth. Albus was right, but he didn't want him to be for his own sake.

"I'm really, truly sorry Albus. I wouldn't have kissed you had I known how it made you feel," he tried.

"I would hope not," Albus choked out.

Scorpius quickly turned over and grabbed the still full glass of water on his night stand. "Drink this, please."

Albus glared at him but took the glass, drinking half of it before handing it back. Scorpius knew he had a right to be glared at but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Albus laid back down after the drink and rolled over onto his side, his back to Scorpius. He pulled the sheets up to his chin and didn't say another word.

"I'm really sorry, Albus. I hope one day you can forgive me," Scorpius whispered and was again left alone with his thoughts. He didn't lay awake as long as last time, but still didn't end up getting much sleep.

It was around ten when Albus woke up again. Scorpius watched as he tossed and turned, trying to find a cold spot on the pillow in his half conscious state. This time he didn't say anything to call attention to himself. 

The two laid there quietly for about twenty minutes until Albus spoke up, his voice hoarse and scratchy. "Are you going to move so I can get up?"

Scorpius quickly realized that Al was stuck between him and a wall. He quickly apologized and got up so his friend could climb out of bed. 

They both walked downstairs to the kitchen in silence which Scorpius hated. Harry and Ginny were still sat at the table drinking tea and talking softly over the Daily Prophet in front of them.

Albus made himself a bowl of cereal and didn't offer to make one for Scorpius like he usually would.

Scorpius sucked it up and made his own, sitting down next to him at the table.

"Hi boys," Ginny greeted kindly, "Are we feeling any better."

"Sure," Albus mumbled, avoiding eye contact with either of them, both out of grumpiness and embarrassment - knowing that they knew he'd gotten smashed last night.

"I think he's doing better after taking that potion," Scorpius spoke.

"I can speak for myself, thanks," Albus snapped making Scorpius furrow his brow and duck his head. Neither of them noticed the concerned looks Albus' parents shared.

"So, Scorpius, how was the party last night? Besides..." Harry gestured to Albus, "That of course."

Albus scowled.

"It was quite nice actually," Scorpius answered, "Jace has a very nice house and the music was good."

"Were there a lot of people drinking?" Harry wondered.

Scorpius shrugged, "I was outside with my girlfriend for most of it, so I didn't see a lot of it, but I'd say there was a bit of it. I didn't have anything to drink though," he assured them. "Iza was the one keeping an eye on Albus mostly and she-"

Albus snapped again, "That's enough Scorpius. They don't need to know every detail. I think you should go now."

Scorpius' mouth hung open in shock, Albus had never kicked him out like this before, "But I-"

"Just go, please," he gave Scorpius a look that told him Albus was still desperately broken from what had gone down between them.

He took in a breath and nodded, "Okay," he whispered, then pushed away from the table.

He made quick work of putting his dirty cereal bowl in the sink and changing back into his clothes from yesterday, leaving Albus' worn pajamas in his hamper.

Ginny was the only one to see him out.

"He hates me, I'm sure of it," Scorpius' voice shook quietly to Ginny as she patiently waited for him to put his shoes on. "I'm a terrible friend."

She sighed, "He doesn't hate you and you're not a terrible friend. I'd wish you'd stop saying that. He just has... strong emotions. But he's like his father and he doesn't hold grudges for long. I'm sure you two will be back to normal before you're due back at Hogwarts."

He stood back on his feet and gave Ginny a sad look, "I don't know if we will be after what I've done."

She couldn't help a small chuckle escape her lips, "You're both quite dramatic. It just proves how you were made for each other. Trust me, it's going to be alright," she comfortingly squeezed his arm.

He sighed sadly, "I really hope you're right." He stepped towards the fireplace where he'd be flowing back home.

She returned a sigh before quickly pulling him back into a hug, "I know I'm right," she whispered and let him go. "Good bye, Scorpius. Have a good rest of your break if we don't see you before then."

"Thank you, Ginny. Good bye."

••••

Iza reached the bowl of popcorn across Adylinn's bed towards her best friend who seemed to be staring off into space momentarily.

It was nearly four AM and they'd been camped out in Adylinn's room since they'd gotten back from the New Years Eve party a few hours ago.

Adylinn grabbed a handful of popcorn and sighed, turning back to Iza.

"Do you think I should break up with Scorpius?"

Iza furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and stared Adylinn down. "What makes you ask that? Because of tonight?"

She glared at Iza slightly, "Let's not bring that up-"

"Ady, you gave Jace a blowjob to delete a picture you didn't even know of what, I can't not bring that up," Iza insisted.

Adylinn's glare faded and she groaned, "I guess it has a little bit to do with tonight. But I mean he ditched me on Christmas Eve for Albus!"

Iza frowned, "But Al's his best friend. You've put Scorpius off for me on certain occasions, so it's okay for him to do the same. And if they had previous plans..."

Adylinn huffed, "You're right... I guess I'm just reaching for excuses."

"Excuses?" Iza prompted.

"Yeah, I don't think I feel the same about him. I mean we've started to fade out of our honeymoon phase-"

"Not that anyone could tell," Iza mumbled, a teasing smirk on her lips. Adylinn rolled her eyes fondly and tossed a pillow at her head.

"-and I just feel like my drive and excitement for him isn't there. I don't want to lead him on," she finished.

Iza shrugged, "I mean that's fair. It happens. Not all relationships work out. You've just got to be honest with yourself and with him."

Adylinn nodded and seemed to think for a moment, "He gave me such a thoughtful Christmas gift though, I'll feel so bad if I break his heart."

Iza thought about Scorpius kissing Albus and said, "I don't know if you'll be breaking his heart too much."

Adylinn gave her a curious look, "What makes you say that?"

"Oh I don't know... I mean if you feel that way, who's to say he doesn't feel the same?"

"True... Maybe I'll tell him how I feel when we're back Hogwarts and we can decide to work on it and get better or just break up," Adylinn decided.

"That sounds like a solid plan - now hand me that champagne bottle," Iza held her hand out and Adylinn laughed, grabbing the bottle for her friend.

Iza filled two plastic cups to the top and handed one to Adylinn, "To the New Year!" she cheered loudly knocking their cups together.

"Shh!" Adylinn giggled, taking a large swig of her own cup.


	9. Your Happiness

Ginny was right, for the most part. Albus and Scorpius were back on good terms within the first few days back at Hogwarts.

"Do you think the light blue robes are too much? Should I go with a darker color? I'm already so pale..." Scorpius huffed in the mirror, looking through it at Albus who was sat on his bed.

"Maybe," Albus hummed, "I still think the navy robes were my favorite, they help bring out the blue in your eyes."

Scorpius scrunched up his face and turned around to Al, "My eyes are not blue - they're definitely grey."

Albus nodded, biting back a beaming smile, "They have bits of blue, I swear. And the navy really makes them pop."

Scorpius fondly shook his head and slipped back around his bed to switch the robes.

Albus respectfully looked away while he changed, even though he hadn't asked Al to.

"Okay, what do you think?" Scorpius stepped back in front of the mirror, holding his arms out so Albus could take it all in. 

And take it all in he did. The broad smile returned to his face as he gazed at his best friend. He had nice black pants on, with a soft blue button up underneath the mentioned navy robes. His hair was styled up and pushed back, much different than his normal style which he let his bangs just loosely hang over his forehead.

Albus' heart fluttered and he wanted so desperately to kiss him but of course, he refrained. Scorpius was going on a date with Adylinn for Merlin's sake.

Scorpius noticed the conflicted look on Albus' face and his smile faltered.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be asking you what I should wear on a... on a date," he said the last word in a hushed tone, as if that was going to help Albus.

Albus merely waved him off, "It's okay. I'm still your best friend, right?" Scorpius nodded eagerly. "Then this is part of my job. To make sure you look presentable on dates with hot girls," he gave Scorpius a genuine smile which flooded the blond with relief.

"You really are the best, Al. Now tell me what you think," he did a spin, letting his cloak flutter around him.

"Honestly?" Albus asked, standing up and stepping into the mirror behind Scorpius.

Scorpius turned back around to face him again, "Yes. Honestly."

"I think you look stunning. The navy is definitely the right choice. If I was Ady I would snog you senseless - she'd be wrong not to," Albus chuckled and Scorpius' cheeks flushed.

"Thank you, I really appreciate your opinion," Scorpius reached out and squeezed Albus' hand. "I just hope this date goes well. She said there's some things she wants to talk to me about and I really hope it's nothing too terrible," he sighed, sweeping across the floor towards his bed to dig something out of his trunk.

"Ooh," Albus cooed, "That sounds pretty important. Should I wish you luck?" he teased.

Scorpius stood back up and gave him a big smile, "Always."

Albus' heart fluttered and then strained as Scorpius left. He so badly wanted to be the one Scorpius was dressing up to meet. He wondered if he'd ever get to experience that with someone because clearly it wasn't going to happen with Scorpius any time soon - or ever.

He flopped back onto his bed and stared up at the curtains for several moments before deciding to go for a ride on his broom. That always seemed to clear his head.

When he reached the Quidditch pitch he found it to be in use by a few Gryffindors. He was about he head back to the castle but realized one of them was his brother and decided to stay.

James Sirius spotted him from way up in the air and waved wildly as he and his three other friends tossed a quaffle back and fourth from varying heights.

"Come join us Alby!" he shouted and Albus quickly mounted his broom and shot up into the air, coming to a stop next to his brother.

"You don't mind if I pop in?" Albus asked.

"Of course not!" Eric Berg replied happily, "You're better than this lot!" he gestured to his friends and they all made sounds of protest.

Albus chuckled and moved further out, widening the circle.

Eric tossed the quaffle to him and thus began their game; you had to throw the quaffle, then do a loop dive and switch spots with the person who you threw it to. It was a warm up game they played occasionally at practices.

They had their banter, laughing and poking at each other. It wasn't until the game was dying off after about twenty minutes that Albus was taken back by Berg's comment.

"So, Al, how was Davie Wood?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Eric rolled his eyes, "Don't you remember New Years Eve?"

Albus' stomach sank and he had a few flashbacks to that night. 

"He's quite fit, isn't he?" Berg's tongue poked out playfully and Albus' cheeks flushed.

"You should've told me that the girl you fancied was actually a guy," James flew by and ruffled Al's black hair fondly.

Albus huffed and attempted to shove James away but ended up wobbling on his broom, "I-I... It's not! I don't fancy Wood!" he protested.

"Whatever you say, bro," James winked and ducked out of the way.

"We've all heard about how you two were inseparable at that party," Martin Wells, one of the other Gryffindor's he'd been playing with commented. "Jace Turner said he had pictures of it."

"P-Pictures?" Albus stuttered, dropping the quaffle as it was tossed to him. He quickly dove and caught it, "There were pictures?"

"Yeah, but he'd said he deleted the ones of you - wouldn't say why," Peter Brooks, who was James' closet friend, commented casually.

Albus furrowed his eyebrows. Did his friends know about this? If they did, why didn't they tell him.

"I dunno what those pictures were of, but I can promise I don't fancy Wood. He's fit and all... but we were just drunk and you know, shit happens," Albus explained and shrugged casually as he switched places with Wells.

"Whatever you say, pussy" James winked.

"Oh sod off!" Albus laughed and chucked the quaffle at him with all his force, nearly knocking him off his broom.

••••

It was nearing curfew and Adylinn and Scorpius hadn't returned from their date yet, so Albus and Iza found each other in the common room.

The two friends were lounging on one of the several green couches, Iza's legs draped over Al's lap. They were playing a muggle card game that Iza had taught him called Uno, that was definitely meant for more people but neither of them cared. Their draw pile was placed on Iza's stomach and every time she'd laugh or shift in her un-ideal position, they'd slide off.

Iza watched in horror as Albus cringed and slowly laid his next card, "I'm so sorry Iz, it's the only card I can play!" he gingerly set the card down and Iza groaned dramatically.

"Not another draw four!" she cried and Albus couldn't help but laugh. "You're ruthless, Albus Potter!"

Their laughter dulled and Albus let out a sigh, "Hey Iza? Did you know about some pictures taken of me at Jace's party over break?" he asked innocently.

He watched as Iza's face changed from happy-squinty eyes to upset realization. "Pictures?" she asked dumbly.

"Of me and Davie Wood?"

Iza hesitated for a moment, "Oh, yeah... Those? You were pretty drunk and Adylinn got Jace to delete them."

Albus furrowed his eyebrows, "So you all knew? How bad were they? What were we doing?"

Iza shrugged, "They weren't terrible, just you two groping each other and making out. There were only two and I don't think anyone actually saw the actual pictures, but people obviously saw you in person."

Albus frowned as he thought for a moment, "I was so dumb that night... Why did I even drink anything?"

Iza sighed, "You wanted to have a good time, but knew you couldn't without a distraction from Scorpius and Ady. It think that's fair. You shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Besides, the pictures aren't out - for all everyone knows it's just rumors about you and Davie. It just doesn't help that he's been out for some time now so it's more believable..."

Albus rolled his eyes, "It's believable because it actually happened." He played his next card in the game and spoke up again, "I didn't do anything regrettable or dumb with Scorpius right? Adylinn doesn't know I fancy him?"

Iza shook her head with a smile, "No, she doesn't know."

Albus let out a sigh of relief just as their game was suddenly halted by the sound people entering the common room. They soon realized it was their friends by their stern tones.

"-it's over Scorpius, just forget it," Adylinn's hissing could be heard throughout the cold, empty common room.

Iza and Albus eyed each other curiously as the listened in on their friends' conversation.

"But it doesn't have to be Ady - why can't we just figure it out together? I-I'm not mad at you," Scorpius' wavering voice was heard and Albus couldn't help but frown at the sadness in his voice.

"Because I'm tired of fighting. It's been too much for one night. Let me sleep and we can try and talk tomorrow," Adylinn huffed and finally stepped out of the entrance way, now in Albus and Iza's line of sight.

Scorpius followed her, neither of them noticing the two on the couch. Adylinn was heading towards the girls' dorm entrance. "Please just tell me how things went wrong? Can you at least do that before you ditch me like this?" he practically begged.

Adylinn turned around and faced Scorpius one last time, just inches away from the doorway. "Let's be honest - it's been a while. Since the Yule Ball, probably. Ever since then your mind has been elsewhere. Where? I don't know, but it's definitely not with me," She reached out and held both his hands in hers, "Scorpius, I love you, I do, but I don't think either of us are truly happy in this relationship. Maybe physically, but not emotionally. Just admit it," she sighed.

Scorpius ducked his head and Albus could tell he was crying and his heart ached for him. As much as he wanted to be with Scorpius, he'd never ask to put him through heartbreak like this. He cared too dearly for the boy.

"Goodnight, Scorpius," Adylinn spoke softly then stood up on her toes to place a gentle kiss on his forehead before slipping through the doorway and down the corridor towards her dorm.

Scorpius stood there for a while, his shoulders hunched and his face buried in his hands. Albus glanced at Iza, asking with his eyes if he should go over and comfort him. Iza shook her head and mouthed, 'Wait.'

So Albus waited. It felt like hours but really it was only two minutes before Scorpius finally straightened up and turned around, finally noticing Al and Iza on the couch.

"Oh," he squeaked, "Sorry that you had to see that..." he sniffled.

Albus finally got up from the couch and stood across from his best friend, "Do you need a hug?" he asked quietly and Scorpius could only nod. Albus' heart clenched sadly and he quickly stood on his tip toes and wrapped his arms around Scorpius' neck - Scorpius letting his own wrap around Al's torso and burying his face into the crook of his neck. 

Albus let him cry for as long as he needed, Iza even offered a soft pat on the back before quietly saying goodnight, knowing she'd have to deal with Adylinn now.

Albus eventually guided Scorpius to a nearby couch and he willingly slumped into the cushy chair. 

Scorpius' hair had fallen back over his forehead and Albus gently pushed it away for him. He conjured a handkerchief and offered it to Scorpius who gratefully took it.

"I'm so sorry to be a blubbering mess," Scorpius mumble. 

"Shhh," Albus comfortingly rubbed circles on his friend's back, "Don't apologize, you're quite alright."

Scorpius suddenly let out a watery laugh, "But you're probably jumping with joy right now!"

Albus frowned deeply, "I am certainly not. Do you really think I'd prefer to see you like this than a few hours ago when we were picking out your outfit?"

Scorpius was silent for a moment as he realized what Albus said. "No, I guess not..."

"I want you to be happy more than anything, Scorpius. I want that above all else, and if that means having to watch you snog a pretty girl that's not me, then so be it. Please don't ever think I'd wish this upon you," Albus sighed, letting his hand rest on the side of Scorpius' face as he made eye contact with him.

Scorpius' eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into his best friend's touch, "Okay... I'm sorry I thought that," he whispered.

Albus sighed, "It's okay. Let's just get you to bed now. It's late and you need rest," he moved to stand up but Scorpius' hand tightened around his wrist, pulling him back down to the couch.

"Wait, I-I want to do something," Scorpius mumbled and Albus watched as the blond's eyes darted from his own down to his lips. His stomach fluttered and his heart began racing as he realized what Scorpius wanted, but he only let it for a moment.

Albus shook his head and determinately stood up, "No, Scorpius. You can't kiss me. You'll regret it, I'm sure."

Scorpius pouted from his spot on the couch and Albus wanted to drop to his knees for him right then and there but used all his strength not to. 

"Give it some time, okay?" He grabbed each of Scorpius' hands and pulled him to his feet, "You owe Adylinn that."

Scorpius sighed in defeat, "I guess you're right," he mumbled as they made their way to their dorm. 

"We don't need to rush things," Albus added. "I'll still be here when you're ready," he promised.

Scorpius ended up sleeping in the same bed as Albus that night.


	10. Done

Albus was sat at the Slytherin dining table, a book propped in one hand while the other held his fork as he blindly brought food to his mouth.

Scorpius was probably off somewhere snogging Adylinn. They'd been on and off all week and it was driving Albus mad, as much as he pretended not to care. They'd be arguing one minute and then sucking each others faces the next. It made Albus sick and he just wanted to scream 'Break up already!' at them. 

Iza had ate with him earlier, but she had run off with some of her other friends to complete a class project before the lunch hour ended, so that's how he ended up alone with his book.

Suddenly there was shuffling next to him and a red and gold tie jostled his book.

"Sup, Al," James spoke casually, obnoxiously reaching across Albus to grab an apple.

"Sup," Albus replied dryly as he closed his book and tucked it in his bag.

"Where's the squad?" he questioned.

Al merely shrugged and took a bite out of his sandwich.

"How are you and Davie?" James wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Albus made a cringing face.

"Nonexistent...?" he replied, "I told you, I don't fancy him or anything."

James gave him a skeptical look, "Who is it then? Why won't you tell me? It's okay if it actually is another bloke. I won't judge you."

Albus turned away, avoiding eye contact. He pushed his food around his plate for a moment as he thought.

He could trust James, but did he want to come out to him yet? Because then he'd have to tell Lily and then his parents and he wasn't ready for that.

He let out a conflicted huff and eventually turned back to his older brother. "Fine. Yes. It is another guy that I fancy. It's still definitely not Davie though - I mean he's fit but there's someone else," he finally admitted.

James' face seemed to lit up, "Wait, really? You're entrusting me with this information?"

"Don't make me regret it," Albus replied threateningly which made James laugh.

"I won't! You can trust me!" he held up his hand in promise. "Does this mean you're gay though?" he asked as he suddenly realized.

Albus' cheeks flushed slightly, "Er, no? I don't think so. I still like girls I think."

"Oh sweet," James nodded, "I respect that - more options," he winked and Albus' face heated up all over again.

"Sure," he mumbled. His heart was swelling with love and thankfulness for his brother and how supportive and relaxed he was about the whole thing. If James could be this chill than the others in his family would be a breeze.

"Who's the lucky lad then? Who's got your heart?" James urged, nudging his arm making Al roll his eyes.

"I'm sure you could guess. It's probably quite obvious," he scoffed.

James' brow furrowed in thought as he glanced around, trying to think of a guess. "Give me a hint."

"He's a Slytherin in my year..."

"Turner?"

"No, not Jace," Albus cringed. "He's blond, tall, unfortunately has a girlfriend..."

James seemed to light up again, "Oh my Dumbledore, it's Scorpius isn't it?" he whispered and Albus just gave a small nod. "Fuck I knew it."

Al rolled his eyes, "No you didn't, I had to give you so many hints!"

"Shush, just let me have this victory," James shoved him playfully.

"An L more like," Albus teased, giggling as he fell back into place after the shove.

"So what are you gonna do about him? What's the plan? How can I help? Need me to buy the flowers or something?" James asked.

Albus cast him a confused look, "What are you on about?"

"How are you asking Scorpius out, duh."

He rolled his eyes at his brother, "I told you, he's got a girlfriend - sorta - you've known this for a while."

"Ah! But there's a sort of! So there's a possibility that you could get in there," James gave him a cheeky look and Albus just shook his head.

"Scorpius is definitely straight. There's no way," Al replied, not feeling very confident about it though, after remembering that Scorpius kissed him at Christmas and then tried to again a few nights ago.

"Has he told you that specifically?" James wondered.

Albus opened his mouth to reply but faltered slightly, "Well... no... not exactly, but I can just tell."

"Bud," James sighed, using his childhood nickname for Albus, "you can never tell about other people. Don't assume. If I had assumed that you were straight I'd just continue to give you shitty, irrelevant advice. Talk to him, ask him. He's your best friend, isn't he? You should know these things, Al."

"But he knows I fancy him, so if I asked what his sexuality was then it'd just be so odd and obvious," Albus frowned, "I can't do that."

The Great Hall was starting to clear out and class was beginning soon and James' friend Peter sauntered over to pull him off to class.

"I've got to go, but I don't want you to give up so easily. If you really love him I want you to fight for him, okay?" he gave Albus a genuine look, "But don't let yourself get hurt too terribly in the process," he reminded.

Albus gave him a half smile, "Thanks Jamie, I'll keep that in mind."

James beamed and ruffled his younger brothers hair as he stood up, "Good. Now don't be late for class you big nerd."

The older Potter jogged off to catch up with his friends and Albus sighed happily to himself as he packed up his bag and set off for the dungeons to Potions.

Scorpius was already in the classroom, his head resting on the desk and a grumpy look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Albus sighed as he slipped into the spot next to him. "It's not Adylinn again, is it?"

Scorpius sat up to talk to his friend and nodded, "She's mad at me now and I can't even tell you why."

Albus frowned, "I don't understand why you two are so off and on all of a sudden. I thought you were going to break up a few days ago..."

Scorpius huffed, "Well, we had that fight and almost broke up but I didn't want to loose her. She then told me that she cheated on me with Jace and so I got pissed. She then found out that you and I kissed and got mad, but I didn't think that was fair because she kisses Iza all the time and makes a joke if it, but when I kiss my own best friend it's a problem?" He covered his face with his hands, "I just don't understand her any more and I'm tired of being so confused."

"Hey," Albus reached out and rested his hand on Scorpius' hunched shoulder, "It's going to be okay. I know you'll be able to sort this out with her. You're both just frustrated and hurt." Albus glanced up at the door of the classroom to see Adylinn and Iza walk in. Adylinn made eye contact with him, glanced at their close proximity and Albus' hand placed comfortingly on her boyfriend, and sneered at them before finding a seat on the opposite end of the room. Albus frowned and dropped his hand back into his lap.

Scorpius looked up at the loss of contact and noticed Adylinn glowering at them and quickly turned away.

Albus' heart ached for a his best friend but couldn't do much more about it as their professor entered the room and gathered their attention.

The class seemed to creep along, Scorpius' feet dragged and his enthusiasm about Potions was at an all time low and Albus could tell as they moved from their seats to the lab area to brew the potions.

As Albus was stood at the supply closet looking for a specific ingredient, Iza popped up next to him.

"Just a heads up, Adylinn might be after your head," she warned quietly.

Albus rolled his eyes, "I heard. Thanks for the warning though."

"Personally, I don't understand why she's so mad. She did so much worse. Jace is the one we should be warning about Scorpius," Iza commented. 

"You'd think," he huffed. "Scorpius is so hurt, but I don't know what to say to cheer him up. All I want to say is just 'forget about Adylinn and fall in love with me instead!'" Albus frowned and Iza gave him a knowing look, "But obviously I can't do that."

Albus grabbed the ingredient he needed from the shelf and turned around, Iza followed him.

"Just be there for him right now. Let him talk to you and figure things out on his own. You're doing the right thing by not forcing him or guilting him," Iza assured. "I know you want to fix him but he's sixteen now - he's a big boy - he can figure it out on his own."

The two friends split to go to their separate potions and the rest of the class droned on.

Soon enough the Professor dismissed their class but proceeded to call up several students to discuss their test scores. Of those few people, Scorpius was one of them. Scorpius gave Al an apologetic look before shuffling up to the front of the room. Albus stalled in grabbing his stuff, knowing that Adylinn would probably approach him now that Scorpius wasn't there to guard him. After he'd stuffed everything into his bag, he slowly made his way out the door with a few other stragglers.

As he predicted, Adylinn seemed to jump out of nowhere and corner him against the wall. He gripped the strap of his bag, his eyes wide in fear as she glared at him. He glanced around hoping Iza would be there to save him, but she wasn't in sight.

"I know you kissed him," she hissed. Albus bit his tongue, trying not to exclaim that it was Scorpius who kissed him first, knowing that'd just put Scorpius in more shit with her. "You're the reason our relationship is suffering," she jabbed her finger st his chest and he cringed. "I don't want you hanging out with him anymore - you're a bad influence?"

Albus practically snorted, "Why? Ar you worried that I'm randomly going to make him gay and that he's going to want to leave you for another reason besides the fact that you cheated on him?"

"He cheated too!" She spluttered.

"Yeah, a single, meaningless kiss," Albus rolled his eyes, knowing full well that it wasn't meaningless to him, even though it was probably meaningless to Scorpius. "When you did..." he hesitated, he really didn't know what Ady had done, but from what he'd heard it wasn't good. "That," he decided on, gesturing to her.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I did it to protect you! I did it because I knew Scorpius cared about you and you made him happy. Then you two go behind my back and snog each other in return! How do you think that makes me feel? I sabotaged my own relationship for you!"

Albus couldn't hide the confused look on his face, "What in the world do you mean 'protect me'?"

She gave him a wild, exasperated look, "I did it so Jace would delete the photos of you and Davie Wood practically shagging each other!"

Albus faltered, his brain swimming with confusion and anger, trying to put all the pieces together. "I-I still don't understand why you would do that though? Especially if you don't even want me hanging out with him..."

Adylinn threw her hands up, "Because all he ever does is talk about you! About how funny you are, and how smart, and how he can't live his life without you! He's supposed to say those things about me, Albus! We can't go one conversation without bringing you up, and I didn't realize haw bad it actually was until I found out about your kiss and it put it all in perspective. I realized how much you actually mean to him, and if I want to be able to keep him for myself, you can't be in his life."

Albus stood there dumbfounded. "There's no way he feels anything more for me than friendship - I'm certain," he tried to assure her.

She shook her head, "If you think that then you haven't heard they way he speaks of you. If I wasn't the one already dating him, I'd think you two were already married. Oh Albus - he's so charming, isn't he? The way he offered to carry my books! Do you see how well he gets along with his siblings? It's so sweet! I wish you would be nicer to your sisters like that," she rambled in a mocking tone. Albus' face flushed and he refused to believe that it was true.

Shaking his head, Albus replied sternly, "No, there's no way. He's in love with you."

Adylinn gave him a look that told Al she didn't believe him and cocked her head to the side, "Oh really? How does he talk about me then?"

Albus opened his mouth to reply but faltered, they didn't really talk about Adylinn that much - in fact, if they ever did it was because Scorpius wanted advice or his opinion on something - or it was Albus muttering about how he disproved of their relationship.

"Exactly," Adylinn huffed before Albus could say anything, noticing his hesitation.

"No, no - we do talk about you..." he tried lamely.

Adylinn rolled her eyes, "Just stay away can you? I just want my boyfriend to myself, is that too much to ask?"

Albus felt anger boil up inside him, "No," he said sternly. Adylinn's eyes widened in shock. "No, I can't do that. He's my best friend for Merlin's sake."

"It's what's best for him!" Adylinn insisted strongly, practically spitting at him.

"I don't think you know what's best for him," Albus spat back.

"Oh but you do?" she scoffed. 

Albus narrowed his eyes at her, "Only he knows what's best for him, and if you actually think you can keep us apart-"

"W-what's going on?" Scorpius' voice wavered as he snatched their attention. Their heads snapped in his direction and saw that he was holding his test that he had just been discussing with the professor.

"Scorpius," Adylinn stepped towards him, reaching out to grab his arm, "How did your test go, babe?"

Scorpius jerked out of her reach and gave her a disappointed and confused look, "Why were you arguing about me?"

"I-I was just telling Albus that... that he needs to give us space, babe, so we can work things out on our own," she reached back to grab his hand which he proceeded to shove in his robes, out of her reach.

"He needs to give us space?" Scorpius furrowed his eyebrows at her and took a step away. "You're the one dragging him into our fight," he pointed out.

"He's the one who kissed you!" she exclaimed, "He made himself part of our fight the second he came on to you like some gay pervert!"

"I'm the one who kissed him, Adylinn. Albus is not to be blamed here," he said bluntly, "And he's not gay or a pervert. You don't get to call my best friend these things," he shot back, resentment and anger towards Adylinn bubbling over.

Albus however, was filling up with love, pride, and thankfulness for Scorpius.

"You know, that was the last straw, Adylinn. I'm done. We're done. I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore if you're going to be such a... such a bitch," he spat and both Albus and Adylinn went wide eyed at his words.

"No, babe, wait - think about this," Adylinn cried, throwing herself at him and tugging at his robes desperately, "We can figure it out. We both messed up but we can forget it all! Please!" she begged.

Scorpius just pushed her off of him and moved towards Albus, "You heard what I said, Adylinn. I told you I'm done. If you're gonna be psycho and push my friends away, then you don't know me at all and I don't want to try and fix anything between us. I care about Albus and you know this. Please, just leave me alone. Leave Albus alone."

Scorpius turned on his heel and stepped towards Albus before confidently grabbing the dumbstruck boys' hand and dragging him off down the hall, leaving Adylinn with her mouth hung open in shock.

The boys rounded a corner and Scorpius let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Holy fuck, Scorp," Albus chuckled awkwardly as the blond let go of his hand, "I didn't know you had that in you."

"Oh Albus Potter, you don't even know," Scorpius smiled in return and suddenly his hands were reaching up to Albus' face and pulling him in to connect their lips strongly.


	11. Progress

Albus made a noise of shock at the feeling of Scorpius' lips on his, but quickly closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, letting his hands hesitantly reach up to Scorpius' waist feeling the fabric of his pants nervously. 

This kiss was a lot better than their first one, their lips moved more naturally together and their bodies fit better together with their hight difference. Scorpius' nose brushed Al's while he pulled his top lip between his own.

All too soon Scorpius pulled away, both of their cheeks flushed as they giggled softly.

"What was that?" Albus practically whispered. "Do you really like me like Adylinn said?"

Scorpius sighed, still cupping the smaller boy's cheeks warmly, "I don't know what Adylinn said but I like you so much Albus."

Albus bit back a wide smile, "R-Really? What made you realize? Because just a few weeks ago you... you and Adylinn - and that night after the party... I just - I can't let you hurt me again," Albus blabbed and Scorpius eyed him carefully. "You've got to be serious."

Scorpius let his hands drop down from Albus' face to hold his hands and squeeze them tightly, "I'm serious, Albus... I think I realized that night, actually," he admitted quietly.

Albus' smile slipped through his bit lip and he gripped Scorpius' robes to pulled him closer, "You mean that night when I snapped at you and told you to leave the next morning?"

The blond boy ducked his head slightly as if that would keep Albus from noticing his blushing, "Yeah. That was rough..."

Albus fondly rolled his eyes, "You deserved it though."

Scorpius' smile dropped slightly, "Yeah... yeah I know... I realized that that night too."

"Did you?" there was a hint of questioning and doubt in his voice.

Scorpius hesitated, unsure of what Albus was asking. "Seeing you hurting that night made me rethink everything. Seeing you with Davie and feeling jealous was... surprising."

A smirk spread onto Al's face, "You were jealous?"

Scorpius scrunched up his nose, "Maybe."

Albus snickered and leaned into Scorpius' shoulder, "I was never doing it to make you jealous but I guess that's a nice bonus."

A group of loud Gryffindor's passed by, shouting and laughing, oblivious to anyone else in the corridor. Albus and Scorpius shared knowing smiles and made their way down towards the Slytherin dormitories for some privacy.

"We're going to be late for History," Albus noted as Scorpius guided him by his hand down the hall. "We're headed in the complete opposite direction."

"I wasn't planning on going to History of Magic," Scorpius replied, "I'd much rather avoid Adylinn right now. You don't have to come with me though."

"Oh," Albus chirped, "I'd be glad to come with you."

"Good," Scorpius beamed and placed a quick kiss to the side of Albus' mouth, making the smaller boy let out a surprised squeak. The raven haired boy felt giddy with excitement - this didn't feel real at all, in fact he felt like he might have to pinch himself awake from this dream to keep him from getting his hopes up when he woke up.

••••

Albus jerked awake when he felt his bed dip and someone climb under the sheets next to him. The dormitory was nearly pitch black but Scorpius' hair practically glowed in the soft green light coming from across the room.

"Scorp? Are you okay?" he whispered. 

There was a soft sob and a tiny sniffle in response. Albus quickly pulled the covers back and wrapped his arms around his best friend. Key word; friend. They hadn't yet made it official because of incidents like one that was about to unravel.

"Scorpius, love, what's wrong?" Albus gently rubbed the blond's back comfortingly and let the other boy bury his face into his chest.

"I feel so awful," Scorpius choked.

"Why?" Albus prompted gently.

"I-I love you, I do..."

Albus gave him a confused look, even though it was too dark to read it, "I know. I love you too... There's a 'but' though, isn't there?"

Another quiet sob slipped through Scorpius' lips, "I feel so incredibly guilty..."

"Go on."

"But I miss Adylinn - I don't know why though," he said quickly, sniffling loudly.

Albus didn't let his hold on Scorpius loosen, even though that was his initial reaction. "It's okay... She was a big part of your life - your first real relationship... It's understandable."

"But she was so awful to you, a-and she cheated on me for Merlin's sake! I shouldn't miss that..." Scorpius cried, clinging to Albus' sleep shirt.

Albus pushed his fingers through Scorpius' soft hair, getting it out of his eyes. He sighed, "But that's not what you miss, is it? You miss your friend and her company." He paused and gazed longingly at his friend. "It's okay to miss someone. Especially since it's only been two days."

Scorpius' crying started to fade away and he pulled himself into a sitting position, pulling Albus with him.

"How are you always so chill with talking about this stuff? And you always know the right thing to say. Really you should be spitting in Adylinn's face and begging me to love you now that I'm single."

Albus just gave him a sad smile and gently squeezed his arm.

"But it's actually the other way around..." Scorpius sighed.

"Do you really not understand why I can't be your boyfriend right now?" Albus asked softly.

Scorpius furrowed his brow, "I-I dunno..."

Albus frowned, "Until you stop crawling into my bed at night, crying over Adylinn, I can't do that. My heart has not fully recovered and I know yours hasn't either. I'm wary, Scorpius, and seeing you like this doesn't help. I can't let you in just yet. Please realize that," Albus let out a breath and gazed at Scorpius who was sadly fiddling with his fingers in his lap. "When you've gotten over her, and come to terms with everything, then I'll gladly take you. Is that fair? I really don't want to be your rebound. You don't even know how you identify, Scorpius."

Scorpius thought for a long moment. "Yeah, yeah. That's fair..." 

"Know that my heart is yelling and reaching out for you, it wants you so bad, but I have to listen to my brain right now. I hope you can understand."

Scorpius just nodded, "I do." Albus reached up and brushed his thumb over Scorpius' cheek as the blond spoke up again. "Can I still stay here tonight?"

Albus let himself smile again, knocking their foreheads together softly, his hand still resting against his face, "Of course you can."

••••

Albus jumped as Iza popped up next to him in the corridor. They hadn't been able to talk much since the breakup, Adylinn was definitely salty.

"So, how are you and Scorpius?" She smirked.

Albus gave her a curious look, "What do you mean?"

Iza rolled her eyes, "From what Ady said, Scorpius left her for you, and you two have been closer, like, physically, in class and the common room and such, so I just assumed."

"Ah," Albus nodded warily, "yeah, no. We're still not together. Scorpius is still very much heart broken and I set some limitations."

"You? Setting limitations? On the boy you've been in love with for a year?" Iza questioned.

Albus rolled his eyes, "I'm not letting myself be a rebound, no matter how infatuated with him I am. I won't let myself be as low as I was on New Years Eve."

"That's fair," she nodded understandingly. "Where is that boy anyways?"

"He had to use the toilets and told me not to wait up," Albus shrugged.

••••

"Make it quick," Scorpius snapped, his arms crossed over his chest. His foot was tapping on the stone floor of an empty classroom that Adylinn had dragged him to. He told Albus he was just using the restroom so he really didn't want to be long.

Adylinn huffed, acting like she was ignoring Scorpius' irritation with her.

"I-I wanted to talk - to apologize and work things out between us," she explained.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her, "I thought I made it clear that I wasn't interested in 'fixing' things between us."

Adylinn held her hands up, "Look, look, I know you're with Albus now, but that doesn't mean you have to pretend I don't exist!"

"I'm not with Albus."

Adylinn rolled her eyes, "You don't need to lie to me, I know that's what happened the minute we broke up. It's just that I can't stop thinking about you and I really hate how we ended things."

"It's only been five days, Ady. We haven't given it any time," he sighed. "You cheated on me, Adylinn. You broke my heart, and then kept breaking it when you dragged Albus into it. Please just leave me alone," he shook his head sadly and made a move towards the door but Adylinn quickly gripped his arm and stopped him.

"Scorpius I still love you, please don't do this," she begged. 

He jerked his arm from her hold, "I have to go. Class to be in. Friend to find." He stormed out of the room and Adylinn was quick to follow him out.

••••

"No, but for real, his dive was wicked, Iza! It was like he and his broom were one," Albus exclaimed as Iza fondly shook her head.

Before she could reply however, the classroom door opened and in walked Scorpius and Adylinn who were deep in conversation, unhappy looks plastered on their faces.

Albus watched as Adylinn huffed and sat in a spot far away from where Iza and Albus were.

Iza gathered her things up just as Scorpius gloomily slouched into the seat next to Albus he had saved.

"Wait, Iza, don't go," Albus mumbled.

Iza glanced back at Adylinn who had her head down and Albus followed her eyes. "I think I have to or else I'll end up cursed."

Albus frowned, "Okay..."

"I'll find you after class though," she assured before slinging her bag over her should and advancing towards Adylinn's spot.

Albus finally turned his attention towards his own best friend, "So you and Adylinn talked? What about?"

Scorpius huffed and barely made eye contact, "Nothing. It was stupid."

Albus frowned at his best friend not telling him the truth, "If it was stupid, it wouldn't have put you in a sour mood."

Scorpius, knowing Albus was right and that he couldn't avoid or lie to him, groaned and buried his face in his hands. "She said she still loves me and then... and then she kissed me."

Albus felt his stomach twist and for the first time when hearing that they kissed, didn't feel jealousness. In fact he felt overwhelmingly betrayed and hurt. Like a slap in the face reminding him of how much Scorpius actually wasn't over her. "Oh," he squeaked sadly.

Scorpius immediately sensed his best friend's hurt and quickly moved to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder and his thigh, "I didn't kiss her back, I promise. I pushed her away a-and might have yelled at her in the hall... And as cheesy as it sounds it made me realize how much better you are at kissing," he tried to lighten the mood with his last line but Albus couldn't bring himself to even crack a smile.

"Why'd you lie to me?"

Scorpius faltered, "Lie?"

"You said you were going to the toilets but you met up with her. I wouldn't have been mad if you told me. I would've gone with and supported you," Albus gave him a sad look and he knew he was failing. He knew he was pushing Albus away and at this point it'd be a whole year until Albus was ready to date him.

"I didn't want you to worry," Scorpius admitted.

"Until she's out of your mind, I'm always going to worry, Scorpius," Albus frowned.

Before Scorpius could reply, the professor started up class and Albus turned away from Scorpius, diverting his attention to the front board.

••••

"- and the Slytherin Seeker, Malfoy, is hot on the heels of Wood, or Gryffindor Seeker. They've spotted the Snitch, but who will catch it first?!"

The commentator's voice rang in Albus' ears as he chucked a Quaffle into a hoop, the Gryffindor Keeper nearly falling off her broom as she dove to block it but missed. Albus fist pumped the air as the points for Slytherin went up.

Suddenly a flash of blonde, lighter blond, green, and red rushed past him making him chuckle and cheer. Then a Bludger sped past, barely missing his face - knocking him back in focus of the game.

"-Wood is gaining on Malfoy now - oh it's so close! What will it be folks? Lions or snakes? The biggest debate of our time- OHH! It looks like SLYTHERIN'S got the win yet again folks! Malfoy has snatched the snitch!"

Albus whooped and cheered as he sped back towards the ground where Scorpius was just landing and holding the Snitch up high. The blond boy suddenly turned up towards the sky, searching Albus out of the small swarm of people coming to congratulate him, and waved wildly. Albus sped up and stumbled to the ground and practically sprinted towards Scorpius who pushed his way towards the boy eagerly.

Albus threw himself at Scorpius, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. Scorpius laughed loudly and stumbled backwards as the sudden new weight on him, both his arms securing underneath the boy's bum.

"You did it! I'm so proud!" Albus exclaimed, pulling back from his neck.

Scorpius without hesitation and completely unbothered by their teammates surrounding them and all the other Slytherins too, captured Albus in a strong and passionate kiss. Albus went wide eyed for a brief moment before laughing and kissing the boy back gladly.

Cheers and hollering erupted from the crowd but the boys didn't notice nor care. They pulled apart, flushed and smiling wider than ever and rested their foreheads together.

"I'm ready," is all Scorpius said and Albus knew exactly what he meant. His heart filled with love for the boy and he pulled him into one more kiss.

Scorpius eventually set Albus down. The team was wildly chatting away when Albus felt a firm hand pat his back and grip his shoulder. He quickly turned to see his brother there and a smile lit up his face.

"Congrats there, mate," James winked.

"On what? The win?" Albus teased, knowing full well his brother meant Scorpius.

"That too," James chuckled, pulling the younger boy under his arm. "So when did that happen?" he wondered.

"Uh," Albus flushed, "Just then actually."

James laughed in disbelief, "No way, I don't believe that."

"Yes way," Albus playfully shoved him.

"You're a madman, Albus Potter," he chuckled, roughing up Albus' windswept hair.

"Yup, that's me," Albus replied sarcastically just as Scorpius approached them.

"Hello James, good game out there," he greeted.

James smiled, "Yes, good game, mate."

Scorpius reached out with both hands and grabbed Albus', "Do you mind if I steal him for a while?" he asked shyly.

James backed away, dropping his arm from Albus' shoulder, "Go right ahead. Be safe boys," he winked and Albus' cheeks flushed as James sauntered away.

"Would you like to show me what your locker room fantasies about me were like?" Scorpius whispered after James was out of earshot and they'd started towards the changing rooms.

"Excuse me?!" Albus spluttered, "Wha-what makes you think I have any locker room fantasies?"

Scorpius cheekily bit his lip, "You told me the changing rooms were a struggle for you when I was there. So tell me what you wanted to do in there." He giggled at Albus' bright red face. "How about I leave my shower stall unlocked and you meet me in there?"

"O-okay," Albus stuttered. He could get used to this.


End file.
